Novel: If I Fall, If I Die

"A bruiser of a tale . . . a death-defying coming-of-age story," that's how Karen Russell describes this heartfelt and wondrous debut about family, fear, and skateboarding. Will has never been outside, not since he can remember. His mother, a fiercely loving yet wildly eccentric agoraphobe, has kept him confined to their small house. Their world is rich and fun-loving, full of art, science experiments, and music. But Will's thirst for adventure can't be contained. Clad in a protective helmet and unsure of how to talk to other kids, he finally ventures outside and meets Jonah, an artsy loner who introduces him to the high-flying freedoms of skateboarding.

Together, they search for a missing local boy, help a bedraggled vagabond, and evade a dangerous bootlegger. The adventure is more than Will ever expected, pulling him far from the confines of his closed-off world and into the throes of early adulthood, and all the risks that everyday life offers. In buoyant, kinetic prose, Michael Christie has written an emotionally resonant and keenly observed novel about mothers and sons, fears and uncertainties, and the lengths we'll go for those we love.

Will, a boy who has never been outside, meets Jonah, an artsy loner at his new school, who introduces him to the high-flying freedoms of skateboarding. Their adventure includes searching for a missing local boy, helping a bedraggled vagabond, and evading a dangerous bootlegger, all pulling Will far from the confines of his closed-off world and into the throes of early adulthood. Michael Christie's debut is a heartfelt and wondrous tale about family, fear, and skateboarding, described by Karen Russell as "a bruiser of a tale . . . a death-defying coming-of-age story." Christie has written an emotionally resonant and keenly observed novel about mothers and sons, fears and uncertainties, and the lengths we'll go for those we love in buoyant, kinetic prose.

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