Man Gone Down
A Novel
Four days, one man, and the arithmetic of what it costs to hold a family together when the money runs out.
Four days in the life of an unnamed Black narrator in New York, broke, separated from his wife and three children, trying to raise enough money to keep them in school and himself in the marriage. Harvard-educated and working construction, he is articulate about exactly how the ground gave way. Thomas won the International Dublin Literary Award for it in 2009. The compression of the timeframe is what makes it unbearable and readable at once.
Recommended by 1 Person
Lily King
They have three kids together. It takes place over the course of four days while he is in utter crisis trying to save his family. The love story is really the love of one man trying to keep his family together, when every single force that could be working against him is working against him.
Interview · October 2025
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