Join us on Thursday, May 18 at 7pm PT for the launch of Mark Ernest Pothier's novel, Outer Sunset, with Rebecca Handler at 9th Ave!
Pre-order Outer Sunset from Green Apple Books and receive a signed/personalized copy from the author!
Masks Strongly Encouraged for In-Person Attendance
Or watch online at the link below:
https://youtube.com/live/tTyu-M7Re2w?feature=share
Preorder Outer Sunset by Monday, May 15 and receive a signed/personalized copy.
Order your book here, write in your online order memo "signed" or who you would like your book made out to, and we will handle the rest!
Praise for Outer Sunset
“It’s rare for a novel to probe the psyches of its characters as deeply as Mark Ernest Pothier does in Outer Sunset. Many writers don’t even suspect such depths exist. They do, though, and here’s the proof.”—Richard Russo, author, Empire Falls
“The father and daughter at the heart of this beautiful novel entirely captured mine. Mark Ernest Pothier has written an affecting story, both serious and funny, about a self-sufficient middle-aged man who finds himself suddenly confronted with the messy work of love and forgiveness in the face of looming mortality. I read it with a sense of quiet urgency and finished it with great satisfaction.”—Julia Glass, author, Three Junes
“Outer Sunset traces one solitary man’s late reawakening and rediscovery of what was and still is best in his life. Mark Ernest Pothier’s debut is a wise and gentle meditation on last chances and the power of hope.”—Stewart O’Nan, author, Emily, Alone
“Outer Sunset is elegant but not showy, straightforward but not simple, serious but not humorless. Its subjects—money, disease, divorce, death, belief—are laid out in a pattern as complex as the layers of San Francisco life that every page of this novel reveals. The characters are complex too, rich and full of mystery and revelations and surprises. This is a deeply pleasurable and satisfying read.”—Valerie Sayers, author, The Age of Infidelity and Other Stories
About Outer Sunset
Jim Finley—a recently retired English teacher living alone on the shifting edge of San Francisco—has been set, unwittingly, on the back porch of life. Trying to harmonize the voices in his head, he sits most days by his stack of “to-do” books until, one day, his daughter comes home with the worst news of her life. Everything changes. As his broken heart reengages, he steps back into a new world. He sees his ex-wife has launched into a larger life than the one they’d shared. He is surprised to find it easier to talk to his son’s immigrant girlfriend, or even the remains of a Russian saint, than to the young man he’s raised. He misconnects with Carol—his first date in decades—a woman he enjoys talking with but doesn’t quite hear. Set in the pre-tech calm before the turn of this century, Outer Sunset is a deeply felt story about the intimate place where long-lasting growth occurs in our lives; how we revise, or live without, our dreams; how to love the flaws of those closest to you and watch a child grow away into someone better than you’d imagined; and how to be shaken by beauty amidst unimaginable loss and remain standing.
About Mark Ernest Pothier
Mark Ernest Pothier’s debut novel, Outer Sunset, will be published by University of Iowa Press in Spring 2023. His stories have won a Chicago Tribune/Nelson Algren Award and been long-listed for the Pirates Alley/Faulkner – William Wisdom prize. He holds an MFA from SF State, a BA from St. John’s College in Annapolis, and lives with his wife and kids in San Francisco.
About Rebecca Handler
Rebecca Handler is a writer who lives and works in San Francisco. Her website, onewomanparty.com, features her flash fiction and non-fiction essays. Rebecca’s stories have been published and awarded in several anthologies. Her debut novel, Edie Richter is Not Alone (Unnamed Press), was published on March 9th 2021.
Jim Finley—a recently retired English teacher living alone on the shifting edge of San Francisco—has been set, unwittingly, on the back porch of life. Trying to harmonize the voices in his head, he sits most days by his stack of “to-do” books until, one day, his daughter comes home with the worst news of her life. Everything changes.
"Oh how I love this book. I finished Edie Richter Is Not Alone in one sitting, then reread it immediately. Hilariously heartbreakingly honest on every page, Rebecca Handler's novel is that rare thing: a perfect book." --Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less