SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2025
An Observer 'Novel to look out for in 2025' and an FT 'Best Summer Read'
'Moving, smart and life-affirming.' OBSERVER
'Why aren't all novels like this?' THE CRITIC
'A triumphant twist on the great American road novel.' GUARDIAN
'So funny, wise and knowing.' CLARE CHAMBERS
What's left when your kids grow up and leave home?
When Tom Layward's wife had an affair he resolved to leave her as soon as his youngest daughter turned eighteen. Twelve years later, while taking her to Pittsburgh to start university, he remembers his pact, and keeps driving West.
An unforgettable road trip novel, The Rest of Our Lives beautifully explores the nuance and complications of a long-term marriage.
Review
About the Author
Benjamin Markovits grew up in Texas, London and Berlin. He is the author of many novels, including Either Side of Winter, You Don't Have To Live Like This, and Christmas in Austin. He has published essays, stories, poetry and reviews on subjects ranging from the Romantics to American sports in the Guardian, Granta, The Paris Review and The New York Times, among others. In 2013 Granta selected him as one of their Best of Young British Novelists and in 2015 he won the Eccles British Library Writer in Residence Award and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He lives in London and teaches creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London.