Outer Sunset

A Novel

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Pub Date 15 May 2023 | Archive Date 15 May 2023
University of Iowa Press, University Of Iowa Press

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Description

Jim Finley—a recently retired English teacher living alone on the shifting edge of San Francisco—has been set, unwittingly, on the back porch of life. Trying to harmonize the voices in his head, he sits most days by his stack of “to-do” books until, one day, his daughter comes home with the worst news of her life. Everything changes. As his broken heart reengages, he steps back into a new world. He sees his ex-wife has launched into a larger life than the one they’d shared. He is surprised to find it easier to talk to his son’s immigrant girlfriend, or even the remains of a Russian saint, than to the young man he’s raised. He misconnects with Carol—his first date in decades—a woman he enjoys talking with but doesn’t quite hear. Set in the pre-tech calm before the turn of this century, Outer Sunset is a deeply felt story about the intimate place where long-lasting growth occurs in our lives; how we revise, or live without, our dreams; how to love the flaws of those closest to you and watch a child grow away into someone better than you’d imagined; and how to be shaken by beauty amidst unimaginable loss and remain standing.
 

Jim Finley—a recently retired English teacher living alone on the shifting edge of San Francisco—has been set, unwittingly, on the back porch of life. Trying to harmonize the voices in his head, he...


Advance Praise

“It’s rare for a novel to probe the psyches of its characters as deeply as Mark Ernest Pothier does in Outer Sunset. Many writers don’t even suspect such depths exist. They do, though, and here’s the proof.”—Richard Russo, author, Empire Falls

“The father and daughter at the heart of this beautiful novel entirely captured mine. Mark Ernest Pothier has written an affecting story, both serious and funny, about a self-sufficient middle-aged man who finds himself suddenly confronted with the messy work of love and forgiveness in the face of looming mortality. I read it with a sense of quiet urgency and finished it with great satisfaction.”—Julia Glass, author, Three Junes

Outer Sunset traces one solitary man’s late reawakening and rediscovery of what was and still is best in his life. Mark Ernest Pothier’s debut is a wise and gentle meditation on last chances and the power of hope.”—Stewart O’Nan, author, Emily, Alone

Outer Sunset is elegant but not showy, straightforward but not simple, serious but not humorless. Its subjects—money, disease, divorce, death, belief—are laid out in a pattern as complex as the layers of San Francisco life that every page of this novel reveals. The characters are complex too, rich and full of mystery and revelations and surprises. This is a deeply pleasurable and satisfying read.”—Valerie Sayers, author, The Age of Infidelity and Other Stories


“It’s rare for a novel to probe the psyches of its characters as deeply as Mark Ernest Pothier does in Outer Sunset. Many writers don’t even suspect such depths exist. They do, though, and here’s the...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781609388836
PRICE $17.00 (USD)
PAGES 266

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Featured Reviews

Outer Sunset
A Novel
by Mark Ernest Pothier
This writer, Mark Ernest Pothier is what books writers should be. It was every emotion you can feel. It was sunsets, foggy evenings, and rainy mornings, I was caught up in the beauty of an older Dad, and his daughter who is ill.
He comes awake with a need, a want to help her. I revisit some past and present of the family. I felt this beautiful novel will stay with me. A classic and what a film this would be.Thank you for showing me once again what it feels to read, wanting it to go on, but never wanting it to end. Brilliantly written novel.

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Very good stuff. This author writes well and creates an effective atmosphere and characters. I stayed engaged, and expect this one to stick with me for a while.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

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