Daybreak Birdsong Always Wakes Him — Pamela Ryder

A coming-of-age saga like no other, reaching beyond the myths of the reckless and romantic rebel, the murdering gunslinger, and the handsome scrapper, one of self-preservation, violence, and contrition, combining an unflinching account of his deeds and his killings with his desperate attempts to escape his own history. This is a complex and authentic Billy—at times a violent character, yet often a sympathetic one—always clever, ever engaging—but beset by loneliness and regret.