Shooting the Tip by Graham Buckenham introduces Jed King, a successful Idaho rancher and businessman burdened by the impending onset of Huntington's Disease, a hereditary condition. Driven by anxiety and a desire for answers beyond conventional means, Jed seeks out Juan Jimenez, a Comanche shaman in New Mexico, to gain insight into the future of his family and businesses. Juan already knows that Jed’s wife will have cancer, and he can control that fate through remote laying of hands. The narrative also delves into the lives of Jed's two sons, Brad and Aaron, and his wife, Tammy, exploring their struggles and pressures, some of which Jed's “visions” or anxieties touch upon. With the troubled relationship between Brad and Cherie Montelle, the daughter of a neighboring rancher, and Aaron's hidden, darker life, which is revealed through a psychiatric report and his own experiences, Jed becomes more and more desperate for a solution. Can creating a Wall Street funding house that invests in radical genome tech businesses advance the search for a cure?

Graham Buckenham has written a compelling novel about mortality, exploring the idea that our gifts are our crosses. Jed has always believed in the power of second sight, but the ordeal comes when you know something you can’t prevent. Shooting the Tip immediately immerses the reader in a world where the mundane realities of ranching and finance intersect with the mystical and the psychological. Jed King is a rugged individual outwardly exemplifying the American ideal of self-made success, yet inwardly fighting with a profound sense of weakness and failure stemming from his genetic predisposition and a past nervous breakdown. His reliance on a shaman, a figure rooted in ancient traditions, highlights his desperation. This author is a great storyteller with the ability to build realistic relationships between the characters, infusing the writing with humanity, and underlining the fragile threads that bind the characters together. I enjoyed the lovely prose, the complex characters, and the exciting drama.

Despite the brave front that Jed King presents to his friends and family, he knows it is only a matter of time before he loses the battle for a meaningful life. Jed has Huntington's disease, but he is determined to put his affairs in order, even if some of those affairs involve addressing his wife's declining health, among other matters. He has repurposed the wealth he has amassed over time to aid him in this grand scheme, and with the help of his trusty shaman, there may be hope on the horizon. All that stands in their way is the tricky matter of a midnight rendezvous in the desert. Jed is about to discover that even the best-laid plans can sometimes fall apart spectacularly in Graham Buckenham's Shooting The Tip.

Inspired by his experiences with people with Huntington's disease, Graham Buckenham goes above and beyond to capture Jed's life from that perspective, resulting in intriguing interactions with his family. One of the standout instances culminates in the moment at the restaurant where the past and present collide in an emotionally charged scene. The pace is moderately upbeat, which complements the mostly comedic undertone of the narrative. It seamlessly transitions from lewd and funny to serious and back. I attribute this oscillatory approach in the narrative style to Buckenham's desire to prevent readers from feeling overwhelmed by the seriousness of some of the subplots that cover social issues like porn addiction. His flair for detail and a magical ability with words elevate Shooting The Tip into a class of its own.

Shooting The Tip by Graham Buckenham begins with Jed King, who meets his shaman, Juan Jimenez, deep in the desert near Albuquerque at night, seeking spiritual guidance to protect his wife from a future illness. While focused on healing her, Jed faces a personal battle against a hereditary disease, Huntington’s Disease, that claimed his father and now threatens him. To fight it, he founded an investment firm dedicated to supporting breakthrough genetic research aimed at stopping this disease. The pressure from family history and the weight of expectations strain Jed’s mind and body, intensifying his symptoms when he most needs calm. His belief in mystical visions, known as Second Sight, enlightens his life exponentially, revealing how powerful and consuming these spiritual gifts can be as he confronts a completely uncertain future.

Shooting The Tip by Graham Buckenham offers a finely compiled look into true human connection and the tightrope one must balance on between tradition and change. Buckenham’s prose is simple, clear, and straightforward, with a natural flow that makes all the plates he has spinning feel cohesive and easy to follow. The characters are drawn with care, and each is organically portrayed. There are limited descriptions of childhood sexual abuse, which I did find jarring, but not at all gratuitous. The spiritual elements are integrated thoughtfully, adding a unique perspective, and are done in a way so that they are entirely compatible with the more grounded aspects of the story. Emotional undercurrents are conveyed with restraint, allowing readers to feel the weight of what is happening. This is helped along with deliberate pacing that does not blaze through key moments. Very highly recommended.