Meet Me Here

In a single night—graduation night—Thomas has to decide: do what everyone has always expected of him, or forge an entirely new path? Bryan Bliss’s absorbing coming of age story examines one boy struggling with expectations and realities and will appeal to readers of Sara Zarr and Chris Crutcher.

Thomas is supposed to leave for the Army in the morning. His father was Army. His brother, Jake, is Army—is a hero, even, with the medals to prove it. Everyone in his military family expects Thomas to follow in that fine tradition. But Jake came back from overseas a completely different person, and that has shaken Thomas’s certainty about his own future. And so when his long-estranged friend Mallory suggests one last night of adventure, Thomas takes her up on the distraction. Over the course of this single night, Thomas will lose, find, resolve, doubt, drive, explore, and leap off a bridge. He’ll also face the truth of his brother’s post-traumatic stress disorder and of his own courage. In Bryan Bliss’s deft hands, graduation night becomes a night to find yourself, to find each other, to find a path, and to know that you always have a place—and people—to come back to.

What does it take to forge your own path when everyone has already chosen one for you?

• A Single Night Adventure: On the eve of leaving for the Army, Thomas has just a few hours to figure out his entire future.
• Estranged Friends Reunited: When his childhood best friend Mallory reappears wanting one last wild night, he can’t say no.
• A Powerful Coming Home Story: Thomas must confront the truth of what happened to his brother, Jake, overseas and the painful reality of his post-traumatic stress disorder.
• An Emotional Coming of Age Novel: A poignant, heartfelt, and honest look at family expectations, brotherhood, and the courage it takes to find your own way.

Bryan Bliss is the author of the National Book Award longlist title We’ll Fly Away as well as Thoughts & Prayers, Meet Me Here, and No Parking at the End Times. He is an Episcopal priest and a creative writing teacher, and he holds master’s degrees in theology and fiction. His nonfiction has been published in Image Journal along with various other newspapers, magazines, and blogs. He lives with his family in St. Paul, Minnesota.