We Are Not Ourselves

Aspiration. I so fell under the spell of Matthew Thomas’ fine writing in his debut novel titled, We Are Not Ourselves, that the six hundred plus pages seemed to go by in an instant. The novel is set in Queens and in suburban New York City, which Thomas presents with clarity and insight. Protagonist Eileen Tumulty Leary was born to Irish immigrant parents in 1941. Thomas exposes Eileen’s strong aspirations as he draws readers into the many ups and downs of contemporary life. Eileen’s husband, Ed, has ambitions that differ from hers, and their son, Connell, may or may not live up to the aspirations of himself and his parents. A fine novel presents the truth of our human condition in ways that draw us into the lives of others to help us understand better the reality of our own lives. I rarely award a top rating to a debut novel, and I often feel that long novels could improve by judicious editing, but this well-written book is one of the finest I’ve read in recent years and I enjoyed reading every page. Rating: Five-star (I love it) Click here to purchase We Are Not Ourselves from amazon.com.