A Frail House — Christopher Noel

New Fiction from the Author of the Acclaimed Memoir

In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landing

A gifted novelist, Noël writes his heart out in this book. Better than any book familiar to this reader, [this one] captures the tormented psychological circling, the ceremony of mourning and altar-building…that mark those left behind. That Noël succeeds so well…is a tribute to his bristling intelligence, his talent for deft description, his willingness to open…every millimeter of his survival strategy since Brigid's death.

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Noël says the toughest, most poignant things there are to say…and with decided clarity, even humor, confirms the power of the human spirit to survive. His narrative of loss and the uncanny persistence of memory is beautiful and disturbing.

Howard Norman, author of The Bird Artist

Noël writes very well indeed. His book is an honest one, and therefore painful.

Peter Matthiessen, author of The Snow Leopard

In the Unlikely Event…is a page-turner…polished, skillful. Within a few pages or even paragraphs, Noël often moves back and forth between decades. In one breath he's…chronicling his relationship with Brigid; in another, he reads from a journal kept by his mother during his childhood, weaving it all together to try to heal. Indeed, a perfect stranger could cry.

The Los Angeles Times