“I really liked this book. It’s different, engaging, heartbreaking, yet hopeful. All the characters, no matter how important, come to life – some are funny, some not. I love this dad who never gives up on his son. And it takes place in weird Florida.”
-Judy Blume, Store Co-Founder
A brilliant and gut-wrenching novel about a father and son from a “master” (Lee Martin) of the tragi-comic.
Known for his bold voice and unforgettable characters, John Dufresne tells the story of Olney, whose beloved son Cully collapses into addiction and vanishes into the chaotic netherworld of southern Florida. Aided by his terminally ill girlfriend and the colorful inhabitants of a local motel—including a doomsday prepper, an ex-nun, a pair of blind twins with an acute sense of smell, and a devoutly Catholic shelter worker—Olney sets out to save his son. Hilarious and devastating in equal measure, My Darling Boy is a hero’s quest for our time, a testament to families touched by the opioid crisis, and a remarkable achievement from one of our most talented, genre-bending authors.
About the Author
John Dufresne is the author of 25 works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including Louisiana Power and Light and Love Warps the Mind a Little. He lives in Florida, where he teaches writing at Florida International University.
Praise For…
Improbably entertaining…My Darling Boy is a tale of parenthood, friendship and resolute love.
— Heller McAlpin, The New York Times
A sensitive portrait of parenthood…
— The New Yorker
John Dufresne has an unfathomable ability to make me laugh and break my heart, often in the space of a single sentence. My Darling Boy is both a lamentation and a celebration of the infinite mystery we call human nature. A masterwork.
— Dennis Lehane, author of Small Mercies
My Darling Boy is a big-hearted love song to being human. Populated by unforgettable characters in Florida towns like Melancholy and Whynot, and written in John Dufresne’s unique voice, the novel examines love and addiction and despair, and most of all, hope. I love this book.
— Ann Hood, author of The Stolen Child
John Dufresne hits it out of the park with My Darling Boy…. Follow along as this wordsmith keeps you laughing, while imparting wisdom about how to navigate life’s peaks and valleys. Dufresne is a master of the craft and a writer to be celebrated.
— Jonathan Escoffery, author of If I Survive You