Best Boy: A Novel - Hardcover

Eli Gottlieb is the author of Best Boy, among other novels. His works have been translated into a dozen languages. He lives in New York City.

“Affecting.... Todd’s is an engaging and nuanced consciousness, so vital that the reader feels profound tenderness―and distinct fear―as this sweet man ventures out into the world.... As ill-advised as his flight might be, we stand on the ground below...enchanted by the simplicity of his soaring.”
- Bret Anthony Johnston, New York Times Book Review

“Engrossing.... Taking us into Todd's consciousness where emotions are visceral sensations, Gottlieb beautifully illuminates a little-understood world.”
- People Magazine

“Arresting.... The book’s empathy is bracing.”
- The New Yorker

“Raw and beautiful.... With a mesmerizingly rhythmic narration.... What rises and shines from the page is Todd Aaron, a hero of such singular character and clear spirit that you will follow him anywhere. You won’t just root for him, you will fight and push and pray for him to wrest control of his future. You will read this book in one sitting or maybe two, and, I promise, you will miss this man deeply when you are done.”
- Ann Bauer, The Washington Post

“Fascinating.... Gottlieb's imaginings of what's going on in the mind of an adult living somewhere on the autism spectrum feel credible and real.... Lyrical.”
- Carol Memmott, Chicago Tribune

“Readers will cheer―and shudder―for intelligent, compassionate Todd as he grows in this powerfully sad slice-of-life title.”
- Douglas Lord, Library Journal

“Powerful and engaging.... Gottlieb has created something quite exceptional in [Todd Aaron]. His interior life and psychology are convincingly drawn.... A deeply moving portrait of a kind and gentle soul. Recommended for all readers.”
- Patrick Sullivan, Library Journal, Starred review

“[An] eloquent, sensitive rendering of a marginalized life.... Gottlieb merits praise for both the endearing eloquence of Todd's voice and a deeply sympathetic parable that speaks to a time when rising autism rates and long-lived elders force many to weigh tough options.”
- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“Amid the flood of books about autism in childhood comes this gripping novel about the fresher territory of autism in midlife. It is written with elan, wit, and great empathy, and it limns in fiction the crisis our nation faces in real life as we try to construct viable supports for this burgeoning population.”
- Andrew Solomon

“This astonishing story of goodness and resilience, about the adventure of loving and being loved, is a marvel of Wordsworthian perception, inviting us to behold existence through unclouded eyes, with an unguarded heart, as though we and the world had never grown apart. The music of consciousness playing in these pages will stay with you long after you've finished reading. A literary experience of piercing, invigorating, profound humanity. A homecoming that restores the mind and soul.”
- Walter Kirn