Talk about a quiet novel! This literary novel, Greenwell’s third, just came out on September 3 and is featured in our 2024 Fall Book Preview. The fictional narrative is inspired by a sudden medical crisis the author suffered in the summer of 2020, the onset of which was signaled by debilitating pain that promptly landed him in the ICU wing of an Iowa hospital. In one sense, this is the story of a man who doesn’t get out of bed. But it also has an expansiveness to it, because though he is laid flat by his illness, he can travel anywhere at all in his mind, and does. Thanks to a compassionate first person perspective we accompany the narrator as he is bewildered by the transpiring medical events—but, forced to stare the idea of death in the face, he is soon compelled to reflect on his past, his relationships, and the meaning of his small life. Because the narrator is an artist and music lover, he constantly thinks of books, poems, and pieces of music that he loves, and these reflections are a treat for those who share the same affinity. I read this quiet book in a single day, and expect it to land on my best-of-the-year list. A note to the sensitive reader: content warnings abound. More info →