First published 2016
Leroy opens his eyes after seven years in a coma to see a pin-up poster wearing an American flag bikini. The image strikes him with startling clarity, unlike his memories from before he left for Iraq. He cannot even remember his own name. As Leroy grapples with whether he can become the person he once was, he makes a devastating choice that will transform everyone around him. Freddie works the night shift at the facility. Pauline tends to patients as a nurse. Jeanette still visits as his girlfriend. His mother Darla continues reading science fiction novels aloud to him. While Leroy battles for survival in a disturbing parallel reality, the people who care about him must navigate the wreckage of his decision and find ways to rebuild their fractured lives.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Iraq
Period: 21st-century
292 pages · Paperback · Albin Michel
Content warnings: mental-illness