Matthew Thomas Libros

LONGLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD A stunning, heartbreaking debut - 'We Are Not Ourselves' is both the intimate story of a family and an epic of the American Century.

The memoir explores the profound journey of love and loss experienced by Matthew Thomas, who reflects on his marriage to Anne and the impact of her death. Through heartfelt anecdotes, he shares their life together, marked by joy, travel, and deep connection, while grappling with grief and the quest for meaning. This tribute not only honors their relationship but also delves into a humanistic faith that offers solace beyond traditional beliefs, creating an inspiring narrative of resilience and reconciliation.

The narrative offers an intense glimpse into the high-stakes world of law enforcement along America's southern border, highlighting the dangers and challenges faced by officers. Readers are immersed in the gripping realities of border patrol, showcasing the urgency and complexity of their mission to maintain safety and order in a tumultuous environment.

Destined to be a classic, this "powerfully moving" (Chad Harbach, The Art of Fielding), multigenerational debut novel of an Irish-American family is nothing short of a “masterwork” (Joshua Ferris, Then We Came to the End). Born in 1941, Eileen Tumulty is raised by her Irish immigrant parents in Woodside, Queens, in an apartment where the mood swings between heartbreak and hilarity, depending on whether guests are over and how much alcohol has been consumed. When Eileen meets Ed Leary, a scientist whose bearing is nothing like those of the men she grew up with, she thinks she’s found the perfect partner to deliver her to the cosmopolitan world she longs to inhabit. They marry, and Eileen quickly discovers Ed doesn’t aspire to the same, ever bigger, stakes in the American Dream. Eileen encourages her husband to want more: a better job, better friends, a better house, but as years pass it becomes clear that his growing reluctance is part of a deeper psychological shift. An inescapable darkness enters their lives, and Eileen and Ed and their son Connell try desperately to hold together a semblance of the reality they have known, and to preserve, against long odds, an idea they have cherished of the future. Through the Learys, novelist Matthew Thomas charts the story of the American Century, particularly the promise of domestic bliss and economic prosperity that captured hearts and minds after WWII. The result is a riveting and affecting work of art; one that reminds us that life is more than a tally of victories and defeats, that we live to love and be loved, and that we should tell each other so before the moment slips away. Epic in scope, heroic in character, masterful in prose, We Are Not Ourselves heralds the arrival of a major new talent in contemporary fiction.

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