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Back Man of the Year Save as PDF
Chapters (52)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. 1.
  5. 2.
  6. Jonah
  7. 3.
  8. 4.
  9. Luna
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. Emily
  15. 9.
  16. 10.
  17. 11.
  18. 12.
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. Alexis
  28. 21.
  29. 22.
  30. 23.
  31. 24.
  32. Naomi
  33. 25.
  34. 26.
  35. 27.
  36. 28.
  37. 29.
  38. 30.
  39. Simone
  40. 31.
  41. 32.
  42. 33.
  43. 34.
  44. 35.
  45. ONE MONTH LATER
  46. 36.
  47. Elizabeth
  48. Jonah
  49. Acknowledgments
  50. Readers Group Guide
  51. About the Author
  52. Copyright

“I read her memoir this summer. Did you know she had an affair with her stepson? Like, in real life.”

“I did not.”

“She did.” I chew a thumbnail. “Her second husband’s teenage kid. That’s not in her memoir, though.” It should’ve been. The true parts are the most interesting parts, no matter how she edits her story. Then—I don’t know where it comes from—I blurt out, “I don’t want to become my dad.”

Unfazed, Angus shrugs. “Good news. That is scientifically impossible.” He has a point.

“Well, so the reason I mentioned Colette is because when I learned that thing, about the stepson, it gave me an idea”—and it takes me a sec to say—“to do something.” Deep breath. “Something bad.” I’m over here hanging my head, trying to decide if I should let this cat out of the bag or whatever, when I look up to see Angus is super spooked, and I’m horrified to realize he’s jumping to the worst wrong conclusion, so I intercept his thought, going, “Oh God. Gross. No, not that. Elizabeth and I are friends.” I hold up my hands. “Swear.” We laugh from relief. “We were friends, anyway.” Buzzkill. “So, okay. The thing is, when I read that, about the stepson—”

Angus rotates his chair a few degrees so he’s facing me completely, but not in an intimidating way.

“I was really mad at the time.”

He nods, but not in a patronizing way.

“Mad at my dad.”

He’s just paying attention, like it’s no big deal.

So I ask myself permission to say, “I told a terrible lie,” and grant myself permission to be heard when he says, “I’m listening.”

Acknowledgments

Melissa and Pouya Shahbazian, thank you for seeing and throwing sparks from the start. You are truly extraordinary friends. Joanna Volpe, literary agent of my dreams: thank you for being the smartest, savviest, coolest, kindest force of nature imaginable. Jaida Temperly, Abigail Donoghue, Devin Ross, Meredith Barnes, everyone at New Leaf Literary & Media, Chris McEwen, and Jackie Lindert: thank you. Many thanks to Jackie Cantor, editor extraordinaire, for your literary sorcery, and to Jennifer Bergstrom, Jessica Roth, Sara Quaranta, Chelsea Cohen, and everyone at Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster for bringing this book to life.

A world of gratitude to: Milan Popelka for loving great stories and adventures, too; Adam Wilson for launching this ship; Beth Miller for the Long Island field trips; Dee and Trevor McWilliams for being badasses; Leslie and Joe DeLaRosa and Dr. Philip Siegert for your wisdom; the Kerouac Project, Jentel, Hambidge, the MacDowell Colony, and my MacDowell and Arctic families for your support and magic.