"The Hearts of Men" a Novel by Nikolas Butler-"Lord of the Flies" and the Continuing Adult Saga

"The Hearts of Men" begins in the summer of 1962 with our young hero, Nelson Doughty, a pre-teen at Boy Scout Camp in norther WI.   We feel empathy for Nelson dubbed ignominiously "Bugler"for his bugle playing reveille & taps.  He is either ostracized or tormented by fellow campers.   There's one older boy, Jonathan Quick, who parcels out acts of kindness that Nelson so desperately seeks.  Quick is not the wholesome, decent person Nelson at first believes.  The camp trauma is eerily reminiscent of "Lord of the Flies" with "Bugler" as "Piggy." The novel is most compelling as the reader becomes an onlooker to the cruelties inflicted on Nelson.  The abuse is egregious & the reader, complicit.  The flagrant attrocities are commited under the noses of adults, not on an abandoned island without adults.  Before departing camp, the director tells Nelson he will become a leader of men; he rises above the rabble.  His solicitous behavior sways a naive Nelson to unwittingly betray the older campers.  The atrocious behavior of the boys towards Nelson evokes our sympathy yet it's also off-putting.  The novel's intensity & interest wobbles as the author brings the characters into adulthood. Nelson is at the knot holding the story together.  The author trails Jonathan's adulthood, adultry and parenting.  The blazing beginning smolders into a weary paragon of decency, loyalty and human frailty.  Jonathan does merit a valid parenting tip. "Try to remain silent however long it takes.  Most of the time parenting is like a contractual negotiation.  Let them spill their guts."  Jonathan has a pragmatic perspective on life which at times seems callous & calculating.  But he does try to mentor his son to navigate in a grown-up world.  "It is a difficult thing, you see, to be a good man.  The whole world will try their level best to make you swerve, to bend your principles."  Butler gives marriage a terrible rap but he also lashes out against guns & war.  Trying to conceive what happens to boys who grapple with a "Lord of the Flies"firestorm is intriguing, unfortunately, "The Hearts of Men" implodes in adulthood.