Minister Without Portfolio

A novel confronting the deeply personal effects of war with the emotional resonance of The Shipping News and the power of Tim O’Brien

Henry Hayward is a drowning man. In a quest to find meaning in an emotionally arid life, Henry travels to Afghanistan as an army-affiliated contractor, where he becomes embedded in the regiment with which his friends are serving. But everything changes during a tragic roadside incursion. And Henry, who survives, knows in his heart that he is responsible. After returning home, Henry feels more rootless than before. Matters are complicated by the grief of Martha, his deceased friend’s long-term girlfriend, with whom he once had an affair. Henry tries to make posthumous amends by planning to repair his deceased friend’s home, but he hasn’t taken family history—or Martha’s secrets—into account.