Steve Almond is the author of twelve books of fiction and nonfiction including the New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and Against Football. His most recent novel, All the Secrets of the World, won an NEA grant. His short fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The Pushcart Prize, and Best American Mysteries. In spring of 2024, Zando will publish his craft book, Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow.
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Praise for Books
“Sexy, funny, and touching…provides keen insights into sex, love, and coming to terms with one’s own unruly imperfections. A winner.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“The writing is piercing, funny, and emotional. Baggott…and Almond’s…collaboration makes for a delightful and robust work that readers will not be able to put down as they savor every messy confession.” —Library Journal, starred review
“Sharp humor and insights into the modern psyche pervade the book.’‘ —Publishers Weekly
“Coauthored by pop culture darlings Baggott and Almond, this is a surprisingly poignant and meaningful read…a no-baloney, no-holds-barred, show-me-your-soul roll in the emotional hay. No gimmick here, just a great story.” —Booklist
“A clever and touching exploration of love and longing…an intriguing mix of funny, rueful, poignant, and erotic.” —The Hartford Courant
“Their two-sided tell-all details the pitfalls of modern love and is sprinkled with death, love, punk bands, and nasty run-ins with postal carriers. Which Brings Me to You is sure to be the most insightful and intelligently written novel you’ve read in quite some time.” —BookPage
“Enormously satisfying…coauthors Steve Almond and Julianna Baggott expertly capture the swooning optimism hiding in letters that are often arch or even glib…it is the bright and funny writing, even in the telling of sad stories, that makes the book great reading.” —MSNBC
“Page-turning reading.” —NPR, Here & Now
“The constant mix of sweet and sour, of heart-swelling romance and smart-ass banter is the official language of Modern Urban Singledom. The bestselling author duo (he of Candyfreak, she of Girl Talk) make fine use of the epistolary form—with a few funny postal mishaps lending a hip meta touch. Their couple’s distinct voices and push-pull dynamic are terrifically engaging. A-." —Entertainment Weekly
“Coauthored by pop-culture darlings Baggott and Almond, this is a surprisingly poignant and meaningful read. The epistolary novel is nothing new, but here the form seems fresh and intriguing. The two letter writers, Jane and John, meet at a wedding and decide to become each other’s confidantes, confessing all the foibles and deep pains of their meaningful romantic relationships to the present. The letters that result are intense and emotional and reveal a dark and sad side to both love and sexuality for those finding themselves single in their thirties today. From relationships that seem to be little more than sexual fireworks to those that are so tender they border on schmaltzy, John and Jane tell each other all the things that they’ve found in their love lives. In the end, and not surprisingly, this unburdening becomes the crux of their own relationship—a no-baloney, no-holds-barred, show-me-your-soul roll in the emotional hay. No gimmick here, just a great story.” —Booklist
“[A] charming double take on love and loss…there’s cumulative power in this probing of heartaches.” —People Magazine
Now a major motion picture starring Lucy Hale and Nat Wolff.
A pair of romantic flameouts meet at a dull wedding and wind up entwined in a deserted coatroom. Shockingly, Jane and John decide not to have sex.
Instead, they embark on a far more dangerous endeavor: sharing the stories of their past love affairs. They tell each other everything, aiming for radical honesty over polished seduction. Jaded as they may be, these two sense that they just might be soulmates.
Which Brings Me to You, cowritten by bestselling authors Julianna Baggott (Pure, Harriet Wolf’s Seventh Book of Wonders) and Steve Almond (Candyfreak, All the Secrets of the World), is “poignant and meaningful...fresh and intriguing...a great story.”—Booklist. It has been brought to the screen by director Peter Hutchings (The Hating Game).
