The Reason You're Alive LP - Large Print by Matthew Quick (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the Back Cover

After sixty-eight-year-old David Granger crashes his BMW, medical tests reveal a brain tumor that he readily attributes to his wartime Agent Orange exposure. He wakes up from surgery repeating a name--that of a Native American soldier he calls Clayton Fire Bear. David is determined to return something precious he long ago stole from the man; it may be the only way to find closure in a world increasingly at odds with the one he served to protect.

As David confronts his past to salvage his present, a poignant portrait emerges: that of an opinionated and good-hearted American patriot fighting to stay true to his red, white, and blue heart, even as the country he loves rapidly changes in ways he doesn't always like or understand. By turns hilarious, insightful, and completely unexpected, The Reason You're Alive offers a powerful exploration of how the secrets and debts we carry from our past define us.

Review Quotes

"A gratifying romp....Fans of The Silver Linings Playbook know Quick's penchant for emotionally troubled, big-hearted characters, and Good Luck will satisfy those readers and new ones alike." - People, Three Stars, on Good Luck of Right Now

"It's impossible not to love each of these deeply flawed characters....As funny as it is touching, Quick's latest effort is on par with Silver Linings." - USA Today, Four Stars, on Good Luck of Right Now

"Dark, funny, and surprisingly tender." - Publishers Weekly

"Surprising.... At the core of the novel is the voice of David Granger, a combination of Archie Bunker and Marlow of Conrad's Heart of Darkness.... A valuable addition to fiction about the tangled aftereffects of Vietnam on soldiers in the field." - Kirkus

"The author of The Silver Linings Playbook delivers another engaging and screen-ready dramedy about an irascible misfit on a mission for closure." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"The Reason You're Alive is fundamentally about the power to forgive both yourself and others.... Quick forces both readers and characters to reexamine their first impressions through his narrator.... In classic Quick fashion, the novel is full of intriguing supporting characters." - AV Club

"A scorching family drama. The Reason You're Alive is narrated with ire and eloquence by David Granger... It's as if Holden Caulfield grew up to be a reflective, even soulful, Archie Bunker.... A touching, old-fashioned drama about the ties that sometimes choke, but always bind." - BookPage

"The role of David Granger may someday be played by an Oscar-hungry actor. But that shouldn't distract from the vivid, high-definition protagonist that already glows from the page.... That candor and honesty gives this first-person narrative its potency. It also supplies the humor." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"An extremely powerful book." - The Missourian

"A book of unexpected turns, a fun and funny narrative intermixed with many dark plot lines, The Reason You're Alive is a poignant work and a must-read this summer." - New York Journal of Books

"This new novel from the author of Silver Linings Playbook spotlights an unlikely hero, and a father-son relationship, with wry warmth and humor." - National Book Review

"Poignant and uproarious.... A novel that thrums with energy.... A vibrant and compassionate tale of a complex man finding his way in a divided America." - Minneapolis StarTribune

"Touching and often laugh-out-loud funny." - Asheville Citizen-Times

"Quick has an amazing ability to build characters who are big-hearted and hopeful even in the face of great tragedy, heartbreak, and trauma. In this case, once you get beneath the camo and insults, you begin to really see Granger." - Writer's Bone

"David's voice is completely distinctive and compelling -- one that captures your attention from the first paragraph. David's story will leave readers laughing one minute and crying the next. Another hit from Quick!" - RT Book Reviews

"Inspiring... Matthew Quick has a way with wounded characters." - Boston Globe, on Love May Fail