“Brutal but spiked with hope, City of Clans is the antidote to toxic masculinity we’ve been waiting for. It’s a lively, if chilling novel that takes shades from The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and A Little Life and applies them to the Pennsylvania steel mills, warehouses, and college bars of the early Obama era. Peck’s characters—the eager-to-evolve Big Jerm, the insecure alpha male Scotty Ballgame, and the resilient Kat—are fully alive in these pages that take a sledgehammer to the violent sexual politics of a fortunately bygone era. Most surprising is Peck’s intent. Peck returns us to this dark historical moment not merely to revel in the pain but to ask the all-too-essential question: How do we move on from trauma and heal?”—Salvatore Pane, author, The Neorealist in Winter

“I’ve never read a novel that so ruthlessly examines traditional American masculinity—and from the perspective of a character both trapped in and perpetuating its continued harm. With boldness and nuance, Peck builds a tense, urgent story that peers beneath the surface of his characters’ worst impulses—then goes deeper still, to the antiquated social structures they work to maintain and the tender vulnerability they’ll do anything to avoid. I experienced every feeling possible while tearing through this brilliant debut: anger, bewilderment, sadness, heartbreak—and ultimately, hope.”—Ashleigh Bell Pedersen, author, The Crocodile Bride