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What's NewPRESS RELEASE FROM WILLIAM MORROW9/25/2005
Paradise Lost in Eden, Vermont
I’LL NEVER BE LONG GONE
A Novel
Thomas Christopher Greene
With his first novel, Mirror Lake, Thomas Christopher Greene earned critical praise and was heralded as a major new voice in American literature. Now, Greene returns with yet another powerful work that takes us deep into the lives of two estranged brothers to explore the depths of love, family, and betrayal.
I’LL NEVER BE LONG GONE (William Morrow; On Sale October 11, 2005; $24.95) is a remarkable journey into the human heart that reveals the transforming power of love and its ability to withstand even the worst human tragedies. Richly detailed and written in stunning, evocative prose, I’LL NEVER BE LONG GONE details how brothers driven apart find they are forever bound by their home and the legacy of their father who forever altered their lives.
In the idyllic countryside of Eden, Vermont, Charlie and Owen Bender live simple, peaceful lives and are as close as two brothers can be—until one autumn night when their father slips into the woods with a shotgun and changes his sons’ lives forever. Devastated by their loss, Charlie and Owen know they’ll always have each other to lean on. But their father’s last wishes, revealed in a cryptic suicide note, spin their lives in opposite directions. Charlie takes over his father’s restaurant while Owen is left to venture out into the world and follow his own path.
Charlie picks up the pieces of his shattered life while working hard to keep the restaurant—his father’s greatest love—alive. Content with his work, but missing Owen, Charlie fights off his loneliness by throwing himself into cooking. When he hires Claire Apple, a face from the past, to assist him, Charlie’s life changes unexpectedly once again. They build a life together, and Charlie has finally found peace of mind.
Owen returns to Eden one day unannounced, gingerly stepping back into a world he once sought to escape. The brothers reconnect as if they had never been apart, their painful memories having dissipated with time. Charlie opens his home to Owen, but Claire is reluctant—she suspects Owen is envious of Charlie’s life, a life that he must imagine could have just as easily been his own. Claire also finds she can’t escape her past with Owen, and together they carry a secret that threatens to once again tear apart two brothers who have only begun to find the peace they so desperately want.
Reminiscent of Anne Tyler’s Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and with unmistakable references to the Biblical stories of Cain and Abel and the Prodigal Son, I’LL NEVER BE LONG GONE is an extraordinary, lyrical novel from a highly talented young writer. Along with its evocative and dramatic depictions of rural Vermont, it also offers an engrossing account of restaurant life, complete with sensual descriptions of cooking on par with the best American food writing. A truly remarkable achievement, Thomas Christopher Greene shows us how we are bound by love and, even more simply, by our common history, the meals we share, and the place we call home.
About the Author
Thomas Christopher Greene was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. Educated at Hobart College and the MFA in Writing program at Vermont College, he is the author of a previous novel, MIRROR LAKE.. He currently lives outside Montpelier, Vermont with his wife, Tia, and their three dogs. Tom can be found at: www.thomaschristophergreene.com
I’LL NEVER BE LONG GONE
by Thomas Christopher Greene
ISBN: 0-06-076580-1/On Sale October 11, 2005/$24.95
Contact: Ben Bruton, 212-207-7524, ben.bruton@harpercollins.com
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