‘Haslett understands the power of sentiment to move without ever becoming maudlin or arch, leading us down a dark path at the end of which a light of hope still burns. It sneaks up on you with dark and winning humor, poignant tenderness and sentences so astute that they lift the spirit even when they’re awfully, awfully sad.’ – The New York Times Imagine Me Gone is the unforgettable story of what unfolds from this act of love and faith. Over the span of decades, his younger siblings-the savvy and responsible Celia and the ambitious and tightly controlled Alec. At the heart of it is their eldest son, Michael, a brilliant, anxious music fanatic who makes sense of the world through parody.

‘This is a book refreshingly replete with surprise. Imagine Me Gone raises important questions about mental illness as the topic gains more attention in public discourse. Imagine Me Gone is the unforgettable story of what unfolds from this act of love and faith. ‘An intense celebration of art, language and life.’ – The Guardian Weaving together the voices of five family members, Adam Haslett imagines how a single event can define many lives, unfolding a rich and painful novel that has all the makings of an American classic. In a family marked by tragedy, Michael, Celia and Alec struggle for years to save one another from the destructive legacy of guilt. While all three are still young, the course of their lives is changed forever. And then there's Alec, the most ambitious and also the most sensitive, growing up in the shadow of his older siblings. His sister Celia is the sensible one in the family: tougher than the boys, unshakeably certain about how the world works. Michael is a precocious kid, smart and funny, obsessed with books and music.

Universal and essential, Imagine Me Gone is the heart-breaking story of an ordinary American family shaped by tragedy. ‘.please know that you tried very hard indeed, and that you loved your family as deeply as you could’ Shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Awards 2017

Imagine me gone review