This Is Not a Novel

Grappling with the loss of her brother three decades prior, a woman digs into her family’s past and uncovers generations of betrayal, half-truths, and secrecy

Imogen’s brother, Johnny, disappeared thirty years ago, ostensibly the victim of a drowning accident—a story to which everyone but Imogen subscribes. Johnny was too good of a swimmer, she reasons, and his body was never found. Imogen alone believes that he is still alive. To get to the truth, she dives into her memory and her family’s history, all the way back to World War I–era Ireland and the long-buried events that forever changed them.

Lyrical, gripping, and compact, This Is Not a Novel is Imogen’s first-person account of her search. Portrayed through fragments of memory, letters, and poetry, the book is not only a retelling—it is an appeal to Johnny, wherever he is, to come back home.