"Greg Fields' third novel, The Bright Freight of Memory, follows the lives of two boys from a poor neighborhood through adulthood and old age as they seek, in different ways, to come to grips with life. As always, Fields's prose is elegant, with a musical lyricism reminiscent of Pat Conroy, and the way he ends the tale is heartrending. With this novel, Greg Fields has once again firmly established himself in the ranks of America's finest fiction writers." -Ray Carson Russell, author of Philurius College Blues

"A story of childhood trauma somersaulting through adulthood and grappling to define one's lot. Through elegant descriptions and his signature lyrical prose, Greg Fields illuminates the grit and gruel of boys turned to men while straddling the unforgiving wedge between what they were born into and who they might have become." -Rachel Stone, author of The Blue Iris

"Fields's novel masterfully delves into the lives of flawed protagonists, revealing their lifelong struggles and isolation. The prose is both profound and moving, poignantly capturing their journey from hopeful youth to troubled adults. A compelling read that resonates with tragic realism and literary excellence." -Glenn R. Miller, author of Doorman Wanted

"Greg Fields has joined the pantheon of Irish and Irish American writers so gloriously paying homage to the ould sod and the luminous literary legacy it has inspired. His new novel, The Bright Freight of Memory, captures powerfully the generational angst that haunts the Gaelic-born and their progeny long after their ancestors are gone to the grave. In elegant and elegiac prose, Fields illustrates the inner workings of inherited trauma from Irish plights of famine, diaspora, alcoholism, and loss of identity and family. Poignant and profound." -Deborah Hufford, author of Blood to Rubies, winner of the American Writing Award for Book of the Year and Gold Medal winner of the Ben Franklin Award for Literary Fiction

"In The Bright Freight Of Memory, Greg Fields paints a multifaceted portrait of the American Dream that grabs from page one and doesn't let go. This is a searing ode to the flawed. Not everything goes to plan, and sometimes there may be no plan beyond that of survival, a shot of Scotch, and enjoying a stray ray of afternoon sunshine. Fields's elegant prose shows us there is beauty and nobility to be found in unlikely places. He shares his characters' inner and outer lives with us and ultimately, by celebrating both their flaws and strengths, leaves us a feeling of hope made all the more precious for having been forged in the cauldron of life's vicissitudes. Bravo." -Alfredo Botello, author of 180 Days

"Author Greg Fields reveals a sobering and thought-provoking glimpse of an aspect of life in Washington, DC, far removed from politics, headlines, sound bites, and the nightly news: the colorless, austere world of the streets, its inhabitants and inheritors. It's a downtrodden world where dreams and aspirations are not so much crushed or broken as they are stillborn. Survival, not success, becomes the motivating goal in life, and a person's resilience is determined by his ability to make the most of what little life may offer." -Steve Jam, author of A Seventh Sense, winner of the 2023 Independent Press Award for General Fiction