A Boy's Guide to Outer Space

Overview

1963. Hattertown, Connecticut. Leo “Half” Napoli mourns his dead hat factory worker father while daydreaming of being the first man on the moon and thereby “partaking of something of the infinite." Meanwhile, he and his fellow Back Shop Boys (their fathers all worked in the dangerous, mercury-fume-laden back shops of hat factories) seek to learn the identity of the mysterious Man in Blue, who wanders the town collecting odd items in his rucksack. Elected to spy on him, Half and the mysterious man form a secret friendship in the course of which Half learns not only what “Jack Thomas” has been collecting in his rucksack, and why, but the extraordinary circumstances that led to his fugitive existence — an odyssey extending from pre-WWII Bohemia to a German POW Camp in Illinois, and beyond.

Reviews

“Reminiscent of Alain Fournier’s 1913 classic, Le Grand Meaulnes, this is a novel for readers who love the drama of mysterious worlds and the spell of enchanting words.” — Alta Ifland, author of The Wife Who Wasn’t

“At turns poignant, zany, always fresh and exuberant, A Boy's Guide to Outer Space is a bittersweet coming of age story, beautifully told in exquisite prose.”— Linda Lappin, author of Loving Modigliani: The Afterlife of Jeanne Hébuterne

“In his finely crafted novel, A Boy’s Guide to Outer Space, Peter Selgin presents a lost world of 1960’s small town life with all its constrictions and aspirations. Selgin skillfully balances the warmth of nostalgia with the disquieting blaze of youthful doubt and guilt. It’s a poignant tale, with its share of loss and betrayal, but also a boisterous and humorous one—and, at its core, a meditation on the survival of the spirit.”—Michael Nethercott, author of The Séance Society

“Peter Selgin has honed the craft of writing to a poignant, moving art form. In A Boy’s Guide to Outer Space, Leo is catapulted into his past by the return of a mysterious object on the beach. Selgin rivals our literary icons as he renders a tapestry colored with humor, sadness, forbidden love, and the pain of horrific, paralyzing loss. A compelling page turner by a gifted writer and storyteller.”—Morgan Howell, author of The Moon Won’t Talk

“In A Boy’s Guide to Outer Space, Peter Selgin has crafted the touching philosophical tale of a boy’s coming of age with masterful eloquence. A world of fading prosperity, the complexities of adolescence, the pain of horrific loss, and the beauty of forbidden friendship—all are woven into a mesmerizing page turner. Selgin’s insights into the human condition along with his beautifully drawn characters make him the rival of our literary icons.”—Morgan Howell, author of The Sky Won’t Talk

“‘Like all good stories, this one starts with an exploding star,’ begins Peter Selgin’s terrific new novel A Boy’s Guide to Outer Space, and this charming, wise book is proof enough of that. The kid living the story daydreams of adventures on the Moon and beyond, and lives by his late father’s advice to follow his fears. Little does Half know that following his fears will lead to life-changing encounters and irreversible decisions; it’s his own world where he finds the unexpected, adventure, and real danger. Ultimately, this insightful book reminds us that inner space is where we need guidance most.”—David Ebenbach, author of How to Mars

“A Boy’s Guide to Outer Space is unlike any novel I have ever read. It is so many things at once—a story of fathers and sons, a story about friendship, a war story (two war stories!), a UFO story (not an inclusive list, I hasten to say) and by turns zany, heartbreaking, exuberant, tragic, and witty—that I found myself holding my breath for entire portions of it. I never once knew what was going to happen next—where I would be taken, what new turns were coming. I’m still breathless, hours after finishing it.”—Michelle Herman, author of Close-Up

“Peter Selgin's novel about an unlikely friendship between two solitary people—a man with a secret past and a boy who lost his father—is a tender, wise, and deeply moving coming of age story. Read it. You are in for a very great pleasure.”—Megan Staffel, author of The Exit Coach.

“A kaleidoscopic and astronomic depiction of boyhood’s metamorphosis into manhood. Selgin’s bildungsroman celebrates the mysteries of teenage years from the vantage point of Half, a curious lad who inadvertently befriends a German POW in Connecticut in 1963 while wrestling with the guilt of his disabled brother’s tragic fate. Wrought with bottle rockets and rocket ships, A Boy’s Guide to Outer Space is a dazzling explosion of stars, innocence, and transcendence.” — Nathan Elias, author of Coil Quake Rift “Leopold Napoli IV, known to his friends as “Half,” is one of the most compelling narrators in modern literature.

Author Biography

Peter Selgin is the author of Drowning Lessons, winner of the Flannery O’Connor Award for Fiction. He has published two novels, two children’s books, three books on the writer’s craft, and two essay collections. His memoir, The Inventors, won the 2017 Housatonic Book Award. His novel, Duplicity, won the Best Indie Book Award and the Indie Excellence Book Award. He teaches at Georgia College where he is nonfiction editor and art director of the Arts & Letters.