Long For This World: A Novel

A wise and richly symphonic first novel, Long for This World is a thoroughly contemporary family drama that hinges on a riveting medical dilemma. Dr. Henry Moss is a dedicated geneticist who stumbles upon a possible cure for a disease that causes rapid aging and early death in children. Although his discovery may hold the key to eternal youth, exploiting it is an ethical minefield. Henry must make a painful choice: he can save the life of a critically ill boy he has grown to love — at the cost of his career — or he can sell his findings for a fortune to match the wealth of his dot-com-rich Seattle neighbors. Henry turns to his family for support, and in their intimately detailed lives unfolds a story of unforgettable characters grappling with their own demons.

"A wise story of ethics and family affection...No one is overdrawn, everyone is as real and worth knowing as he or she can be...Deep and real." Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"Compassionate, richly detailed...[the] characterizations are so vivid and convincing that they are nearly hyper-real..." Publishers Weekly, Starred

"Hooray for [Michael Byers'] grand scope and compassionate voice." --Karen Valby Entertainment Weekly

"[Byers] displays a virtousity with figurative language that puts him in a class with such new American masters as Charles Baxter and Antonya Nelson." --Thomas Mallon Atlantic Monthly

"'Long for This World' . . . is a piercing scientific and familial romance. . . Byers effortlessly conveys the quick pivots and non sequiturs of familial byplay." --Kerry Fried The New York Times Book Review

A first novel wise beyond its author's years.