The Reason You're Alive

Portrait. Far along in Matthew Quick’s novel titled, The Reason You’re Alive, readers learn that the title of the book is also the title of a painting. By the time we learn that fact, we’ve come to know protagonist David Granger quite well. This sixty-eight-year-old Vietnam vet becomes obsessed with finding a Native American soldier from his past. Granger is struggling with the meaning of his life, and trying to understand why the country he loves has changed so much. The novel is a portrait of a person and of our society. Quick explores the ways in which it becomes necessary to reconcile ourselves with the past and let go of burdens that have been carried far too long. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Reason You’re Alive from amazon.com.