The Rest of Our Lives

NATIONAL BESTSELLER FINALIST FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE “Feels less like reading a novel and more like sitting in a car beside a dear friend as he navigates the road up ahead. A profoundly moving experience.” —Ann Patchett “Deeply human...a beautifully quiet and devastating book.” —Sarah Jessica Parker A triumphantly life-affirming road trip novel about marriage, middle-age, and a man at a crossroads in his life. When Tom Layward’s wife had an affair twelve years ago, he resolved to leave her as soon as his youngest child left the nest. Now, while driving his college-bound daughter to Pittsburgh, he remembers his promise to himself. He is also on the run from his own health issues and a forced leave from work. So, rather than returning to his wife in Westchester, Tom keeps driving west, with the vague plan of visiting people from his past—an old college friend, his ex-girlfriend, his brother, his son—en route, maybe, to California. He’s moving towards a future he hasn’t even envisioned yet while he considers his past and the choices he’s made that have brought him to this particular present. Pitch-perfect, tender, and keenly observed, The Rest of Our Lives is a story about what to do when the rest of your life is only just the beginning of your story.
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2025 'Feels less like reading a novel and more like sitting in a car beside a dear friend . . . a profoundly moving experience.' ANN PATCHETT 'Deeply human ... a beautifully quiet and devastating book.' SARAH JESSICA PARKER 'Funny, wise and knowing.' CLARE CHAMBERS When Tom's wife had an affair, he resolved to leave her once their children had grown up. Twelve years later, after driving his daughter to university, he remembers his pact and keeps driving West to visit friends, family and an old girlfriend. But he also has secrets of his own - trouble at work and health issues - and sometimes running away is the hardest thing to do. What readers are saying about The Rest of Our Lives: 'What a powerful tale; a really unexpected treasure.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Highly recommended if you want to read something real and something that will resonate.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'The best novel I've read this year.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'The perfect mix of funny, poignant and thought-provoking.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Deeply heartfelt and engrossing . . . I can't stop thinking about it!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'It packs an emotional punch . . . I know Tom will stay with me for a long time.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I loved it - almost a coming-of-old-age story.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐