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It's February 1987. Post-college, Bo dreams of being a writer but doesn't have the courage, deciding he “hasn't suffered enough” and that he needs “something big to happen.” He's out of a job, out of time, and he's losing the love of the girl with “a face that might not launch a thousand ships, but perhaps a few hundred small pleasure craft.” He's a mess as he sets out on a journey to discover the Things That Matter. He finds sanctuary among “The Boys,” a somewhat eclectic cadre of childhood buddies that help him navigate his journey.

A Bullet in the Head, an Arrow through the Heart is a wry study of the behavior of young men through their relationships with women and their enduring friendship with one another. It's a coming-of-age-late story set in a world of barflies and distance runners, psychics and tattoo artists, hillbillies and pit bulls, nurses and road trippers, and, of course, a girl. It's a love letter to friendship and to love itself, told in equal parts comedy and melancholy.

Young men, and men who were once young in the 1980s, will love this story because it's familiar and funny. Young women, and women of all ages trying to figure out men, will love hating it as they gain insight into the “real” male psyche. Love it or hate it, it's a journey you'll want to take!

A Bullet in the Head, an Arrow through the Heart is the first novel by Mark Bohac. He lives in Wickford, Rhode Island, with his wife, Teri, and their four children.

The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
2nd January 2024
TITLE: A Bullet in the Head, an Arrow through the Heart
AUTHOR: Mark Bohac

Star Rating: 4

'A compelling journey back to the 1980s packed full of perfectly timed humour. Excellent for upsetting politically correct, left wingers!' The Wishing Shelf

REVIEW
I must say, I very much enjoyed this step back in time to the 1980s. Being 53 years old, I remember it well, a much less complicated time with no internet, when everything was less politically correct and there was no such thing as 'mental health problems' - back then, it was just called skiving off.
In this very long-titled novel from the talented pen Mark Bohac, the reader gets to follow a group of young men as they navigate life (and love) during this Wham-dominated decade. There's a good amount of humour in the storytelling yet, it's also thought-provoking in parts, particularly to readers like me who happened to have grown up during that time. The Boys, as the author calls them, were instantly recognisable to me, reminding me of many of my pals of old. The book also reminded me that with youth, there's stupidity – and there's plenty on show in here. But it's all good fun and, I suspect, most readers, particularly if they happen to be 50-odd, will see this novel as a time capsule; that, once unearthed, reminds them of better days - or possibly just different days.
So, who's this book for? Well, I suspect if the reader happens to be a left wing, politically correct, care worker, they'll probably find this book rather alarming. They'll be wrapping it in garlic and trying to drive a stake through it. But if they're not so easily offended and they remember the 80s with warmth; a time when, if they didn't know something, they couldn't simply ask Google, then they'll find this novel a lot of fun.

'Wishing Shelf' Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk