After the Lights Go Out

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The latest novel from the CWA-shortlisted author of Three-Fifths - a Sunday Times, Guardian and Financial Times Book of the Year.

'Thrums with authenticity' - The Times
'Powerful, bruising and beautiful' - Chris Whitaker


'A bleak, brilliant slice of American noir' - Daily Mail


'John Vercher could well be the next great American novelist' - Kia Abdullah


''Shrewd and explosive' - New York Times



'Vercher writes with the intensity of championship round' - Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow Birds


'A stunning, stone-cold knockout' - P. J. Vernon, author of Bath Haus


'Think Warrior by way of Fat City' - William Boyle, author of Shoot the Moonlight Out


'John Vercher writes like a fighter, a dancer, an athlete' - Wiley Cash, author of A Land More Kind than Home




IT'S NOT A COMEBACK. IT'S A FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE.



Xavier "Scarecrow" Wallace is a biracial Black MMA fighter on the wrong side of thirty, who's been given a last-ditch chance to break into the big leagues. He is also losing his battle with pugilistic dementia, a struggle he is desperate to hide. Inthe nursing home of his father, a white man suffering from Alzheimer's, Xavier witnesses shocking episodes that expose ugly truths about his family and his past. Asthe big fight draws near, Xavier is faced with a dangerous dilemma: throw his match or suffer the deadly consequences.

Reviews

'Thrums with authenticity and the sweat shines on every page' - The Times

'Powerful, bruising and beautiful, After The Lights Go Out is a blistering story of love and loyalty, family, class and belonging. Those who haven't discovered John Vercher yet are seriously missing out. Outstanding.' - Chris Whitaker

'After the Lights Go Out left me breathless. A riveting portrait of masculinity, vulnerability and alienation, it couples propulsive action with an aching tenderness. So exquisite is the result, I would go as far as to say that John Vercher could well be the next Great American Novelist.' - Kia Abdullah

'Shrewd and explosive' - New York Times

'Vercher gives us a nuanced, troubled protagonist trying to keep his head up in a dark and dangerous world. His novel is troubling, powerful, and ultimately, surprisingly, poignant.' - Ben H. Winters

Author Bio

John Vercher is a writer on race, identity and social justice currently living in the Philadelphia area with his wife and two sons. He holds a BA in English from the University of Pittsburgh and an MFA in Creative Writing from the Mountainview Master of Fine Arts program. His debut novel, Three-Fifths was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Award and was a Sunday Times, Guardian and Financial Times Book of the Year.