It's a brilliantly written book! The prose so beautiful, you travel forty years with our protagonist in search oh his father.. Porter's poetic prose vividly paints each decade beautifully.. highly recommend

Having lived in California, once upon a time, I could easily envision parts of this story set in the era of the 70’s and the years that followed. This was, for me, a very moving read.

This covers another time, when women were meant to be wives who catered to their husbands, and tended to their family, but also the blooming of the era of ‘free love’ to some extent.

A story of a husband, wife, and a son who live in California, whose lives begin to change as the cultural movement begins to blossom into a combination of cultural, sexual and more liberal attitudes about sex and morals.

A very engaging read, and a glimpse into another time, a journey for the son to find a path to reach his father, and perhaps to make amends.


Pub Date: 15 Apr 2025


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor

A sensitive, cinematic account of childhood trauma and its survival. This is finely drawn stuff, narrated carefully and perceptively. I found it a little long, a little repetitive, both in the portrait of the father and also in the Californian scene setting. And let’s not forget Fleetwood Mac. Definitely too heavy a hand there.
Nevertheless, this is an interesting author and a compelling piece of work. I’m now waiting for the TV version.

This novel was astounding, Andrew Porter captured Steven Mills at different points of his life coping with a father who had difficulties with his life. This left a lasting impact on Steven which ultimately led to a quest for answers, forgiveness, and acceptance. Andrew Porter brought the reader effortlessly into this family drama. It was well written, the reader felt emotions along with all the characters. Thank you Netgalley for this early opportunity to read this gem. I hope is soars on the charts!

I loved this novel. Andrew Porter, as in all his other books, is able to capture grief, hope and guilt with poignancy.

This novel is told in dual timelines; Steven Mills as a 12 year old and Steven Mills as an adult. As a child, he worshiped his erratic father who behaved mercurially and stayed emotionally distant from Steven. Steven's father was a Professor of English at St. Agnes College, a liberal arts college in southern California. Professor Mills and his wife loved to have parties at their home and as time progressed, the parties got more openly raunchy. Steven's dad had a close friend and the two of them would live in the pool cabana for weeks on end. It was obvious to me that Professor Mills was bisexual or gay. In contemporary jargon, he was queer. He was also mentally ill, quite possible bi-polar. Steven's mother loved her husband very much and did not know what to do. The point of no return or the epicenter of the novel is when Professor Mills is denied tenure.

If anyone has lived through academic settings as a professor or spouse you will know how important tenure is. It is a lifeline, one that can keep you adrift but is always there to reel you in. Tenure means that you have freedom of speech and that basically you can't be fired unless you commit a travesty such as a felony. Tenured faculty are the heads of departments and deans. Though most professors have annual reviews, tenure protects them from losing their jobs. If one doesn't get tenure, it is much more difficult to secure another job in academia.

Right after being notified that he was denied tenure, Professor Mills leaves his wife and young child. He provides no indication as to where he is going or if he will ever return. As an adult, Stevens sets out to solve the mystery of his father. His own life is at a standstill as he and his wife have just separated and he is on leave from his college teaching job. Steven goes up and down the coast of California talking to his father's friends and former colleagues trying to piece together who his father was. Everyone has a story for Steven but no one has the answer to the looming question Steven has - 'Who was my father'?

Steven eventually realizes that finding the essence of a person is nearly impossible. Others have opinions, bits of memory and some even have convoluted stories. Steven is trying to find something that cannot be found. As he travels, both actually and metaphorically, it appears that there are more questions about his father than answers. Once Steven realizes that unknowable essence of another, he can be free.

The story is beautifully written, evoking strong emotions throughout, with its rich narrative. The poignancy of Steven's search, and his realization that his father is basically unknowable, creates sympathy and grief, Though short in length, this novel has great depth, wonderful characterizations, and a fluid narrative.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalleu for an Advanced Review Copy of this novel.

Wow. The writing was absolutely stunning. The characters in this book were great!! I was so invested. Thank you for the ARC!

this was a good book! It had a lot of deep themes of family, growth, guilt, adult relationships, and love. I think the author did a good job with writing this, and it kept me interested and it was heartwarming and sad at the same time

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

The Imagined Life is a masterfully woven tale about family, identity, and the search for answers that often leads to even more profound questions. Steven Mills’ journey up the California coast in search of his estranged father is a physical and emotional odyssey that captures the complexities of reconciling the past with the present.

The novel’s strength lies in its dual timeline structure, seamlessly blending Steve’s present-day conversations with evocative glimpses into his 1980s childhood. These moments are bittersweet, layered with nostalgia and the growing realization that the past was not as idyllic as it seemed.

As Steve unravels the mystery of his father’s disappearance, the story transforms into more than just a search for a missing man—it becomes a profound meditation on identity and legacy. With every revelation about his father’s brilliance, charisma, and flaws, Steve is forced to confront the ways his father’s choices shaped his own life. The emotional depth of these discoveries is heartbreaking and illuminating, leaving readers to reflect on their own familial ties and the stories they inherit.

The novel doesn’t offer easy resolutions, but that’s precisely what makes it so impactful—its truths are as messy and complex as life itself.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a melancholic novel about growing up and into who you are, and how our parents shape who we become. The central relationship focus is that between a father and son, which is probably the relationship dynamic I seek out least in the fiction I read, but this specific relationship was so intricately plotted and beautifully written, I found myself drawn all the way in. The writing is really lovely, tender and spiky at the same time. The plot revolves around a man whose marriage and relationship to his son are faltering, so he decides to investigate his relationship to his own father, who disappeared when he was twelve.

4.5 ⭐️

Wow, I really enjoyed this book! The Imagined Life follows Steven as he searches for his missing father. As the reader, we follow Steven as he reflects on and comes to terms with trauma that he endured as a child. The writing is beautiful and the story is heartbreaking and I enjoyed all of it.

This is my first book by Andrew Porter, but it certainly won’t be my last.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advanced copy of this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. The Imagined Life is a though-provoking work of literary fiction unlike any that I've read . Steve, who is on the cusp of turning 12 at the beginning of the book, lives with his parents in California in the early 1980's. To Steve, his parents marriage and his father's job as a professor seem solid but beneath the surface of a charmed life is a world that Steve won't understand for years. His parents throw pool parties, in which his father's colleagues come over to drink, swim and party. He starts noticing more and more men at the parties and a relationship developing between his father and one of the other male academics. When Steve is 12, his father takes him out of school for the day to see a movie in Los Angeles and its the last time he sees his father. The story delves into Steve's adult life with marriage on the brink of breaking and a son of his own. Forty years after his father's disappearance, he sets out to find out what happened to his father. by visiting his uncle and former colleagues of his father's. The Imagined Life tells Steve's story with realistic and touching language.

This novel truly packs a punch. *The Imagined Life* follows our protagonist, Steven, as he investigates his father's disappearance during his early adolescence in the mid-'80s. Like many neglected latchkey kids of that generation, he narrates his parents' complicated relationship as if he were a fly on the wall—left to his own devices.

Now an adult, Steven reflects on his past. He shares many similarities with his father: he is queer or not quite straight, is a writer, has lost his job, and is currently separated from his family. This prompts him to seek answers about what really happened back then. With his mother now deceased, he turns to relatives and old colleagues of his father to help fill in the gaps.

As Steven narrates his journey, we gradually piece together both his father's life and Steven's own experiences. This slow revelation to readers mirrors his own learning process. Through this investigation, he hopes to break free from his father's patterns and stop his cycle of self-sabotage.

If you loved the movie *Aftersun* as much as I did, you should definitely check out this novel. It’s filled with cultural references to movies, books, and music that explore similar themes of nostalgia, loss, memory, complicated relationships, and redemption. I highly recommend this read. Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley.

If you live in Northern or Southern California…have memories from the 70’s or 80’s influence …and/or have a special thing for Stevie Nicks … this book will have your heart just from the barebones aesthetics: [the setting and time period]
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg…
Our protagonist, Steven Mills, is 40ish. He’s trying to come to some type of closure with his father.
Anything I say from here on out won’t possibly communicate my deepest feelings of this novel —
“The Imagined Life” might even be the most affecting - even life altering novel I’ve read a year!
Note: I’ve read every Booker Prize nominated book this year - both long and short list.
I loved MANY BOOKS…. I’m a daily reader junkie. Often — easy to please — but some books are OURS.
Yes, we want to share ‘our’ book with friends - with the world - have worthy discussions very much…..but we also know THIS BOOK BELONGS TO ME. The author wrote it for people like me. I can honesty cry here as I type this — I’m sincerely thankful to Andrew Porter.

A personal share after finishing it around 2am… after a few tears ….
For the first time in 43 years. I had the most vivid dream of my oldest daughter whom I’ve not seen or talked with (other than a few birthday text sentences) in ten years….
Something happened to me so profoundly—
and may I also say my dream was so beautiful…
so real and vivid …
tears are streaming down my face again now —
Heck— I had tears reading the acknowledgments!!
But do I dare post ‘this’ type of review in the question?
Hmmmm…
I’ve got notes. I did more highlighting than needed …
I looked up the Italian film Noir of L’Avventura … (with plans to watch it).
I was interested in every single aspect of this novel ….
I lived inside our protagonist’s head … such a beautiful soul Steven Mills was….
….but instead of a more ‘content’ review … I hope readers who value these types of books - will read THIS ONE ….
I already wrote a few words on Facebook — thinking I’ll write a ‘real’ review later ….
But what I wrote ‘is’ enough … it came quickly from my heart immediately after finishing it - following that morning dream of my daughter.
In my dream I hugged Katy so tightly (she had fallen- not hurt but I saw it happen) I ran to her and said … “may I please comfort you - love you?” I said a few more things holding her precious beautiful
face in my hands — so sorry for all of it — all the ‘stuff’.
I am sorry I failed her - told her - she knew - she sincerely loved me back.

So — re- creating a few things I said on my Facebook page about “The Imagined Life” . . .
…..this novel is a great choice for those who have a son - were a son — or have a daughter- or were a daughter - are a mother or father —
Maybe you experience grief as a child - during your pre- teen or teen years -
Maybe you experience grief now as a parent associated with a child you love -
Maybe closure and forgiveness seems hopeless -
There are themes spread out - mental illness - best friend bonding - identity/ gender confusion and secrets - great books - music - film noir’s mentioned (that left an impression on me too) — pool gatherings - astute observations from a young teen towards a parent - both parents - abandonment- marriage -
College academia— tenure pressures - aging — LOVE — —- definitely LOVE …

There are a few quotes in this book sooo good — I must come back and include a few — or — well readers: you’ll find them.
I’m writing this review on my iPhone during my 46th wedding anniversary in Kauai… relaxing by the pool —
I’m a little emotional and feeling sensitive at the moment —
Most ….
…..so very thankful for my own marriage—my husband…
We both did our best as parents — it wasn’t enough - but we did our best. We would never abandoned our kids at any age — we are always open to them …in any way we can serve …
But … truthfully … looking back we didn’t come from the ‘right stuff’ as orphan-type latchkey kids.
I verbally yelled at Katy - we fought - but I was the parent — I should have known better.
I’m at least comforted she’s successful- independent-incredibly gifted and talented and living alive she was born to live.
I’m sorry though — forever sorry!
Doesn’t change a thing —
But this book made a great difference to be —
I hope others love it half as much as me.
I hope my friends read it. I hope to have those meaningful discussions with others from it.

Last — I can’t thank Andrew Porter enough — I’m a diehard fan of your work — and to Knopf publishing - I love you guys too!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!

Wow - the writing in this book blew me away! This is a story I will never forget. It read more like a memoir than a novel. A truly unique storyline between father and son that’s unlike anything you’ve read before. 5/5 stars. I’ll definitely be checking out previous work by this author.

P.S. As a big Fleetwood Mac fan, the book’s Stevie Nicks references never got old :)

I rarely read books written from a man's perspective so this was an interesting title to get lost in. I liked Porter's telling of the relationship between the main character and his father. The book unfolds at a good pace. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.