Third Brother

A haunting and “compulsively readable” tale of brotherly love, family tragedy, and national grief from the bestselling author of Twelve (Booklist).

Mike was a lucky child: a vacation house on Long Island, famous family friends, an Ivy League education, and an older brother, Lyle, who looked out for him. Now it’s 2001, and Mike is working in Thailand on a magazine internship. Sent on assignment to Bangkok, Mike finds the city electric with violence and hedonism. Nothing goes according to plan. When terrible news about his brother arrives from home, Mike rushes back to the States. Lyle is unstable and suffering from visions of an imaginary third brother. And then, a clear September morning is broken by catastrophe.

While the Twin Towers burn, Mike makes an epic trek through the ghostly streets of New York to find and save Lyle. From Patpong to the World Trade Center to Harvard Yard, as his life and country come apart, Mike struggles to find his footing and go on. The joke, it turns out, is on him.

“[McDonell’s] treatment of the 9/11 catastrophe is masterly.”—The Washington Post

“Engrossing, with indelible scenes and a protagonist to care about.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)