This Is How

M. J. Hyland is the multi-award-winning and Man Booker–shortlisted author of Carry Me Down. Her third novel This Is How is a psychologically probing and deeply moving account of a perpetual outsider longing to find his niche. When Patrick Oxtoby’s fiancée breaks off their engagement he leaves home and moves to a remote seaside village. In spite of his hopes for a new and better life Patrick struggles to fit in and make the right impression. Certain that his new friends are conspiring against him and with his already fragile personality further fractured he takes a course of action that permanently alters his life. This Is How is a mesmerizing and meticulously drawn portrait of a man whose unease in the world leads to his tragic undoing. With breathtaking wisdom and astute insight into the human mind Hyland’s latest is a masterpiece that arouses horror and sympathy in equal measure.