A Hard and Heavy Thing

Top 10 First Novels of 2016--Booklist 2016 Great Group Reads Selection Contemplating suicide after nearly a decade at war, Levi sits down to write a note to his best friend Nick, explaining why things have to come to this inevitable end. Years earlier, Levi--a sergeant in the army--made a tragic choice that led his team into ambush, leaving three soldiers dead and two badly injured. During the attack, Levi risked death to save a badly burned and disfigured Nick. His actions won him the Silver Star for gallantry, but nothing could alleviate the guilt he carried after that fateful day. He may have saved Nick in Iraq, but when Levi returns home and spirals out of control, it is Nick's turn to play the savior, urging Levi to write. Levi begins to type as a way of bidding farewell, but what remains when he is finished is not a suicide note. It's a love song, a novel in which the beginning is the story's end, the story's end is the real beginning of Levi's life, and the future is as mutable as words on a page.


About the Author
Matthew J. Hefti is a human defense attorney and the author of A Hard and Heavy Thing, which was awarded the Wisconsin Library Association's Outstanding Achievement recognition and named one of the Top Ten Books of the Year by Military Times. His writing has appeared in anthologies such as The Road Ahead, MFA vs. NYC, and Retire The Colors. He lives in Houston, Texas.