This Kind of Man, a suite of dramatic monologues and meditations, seems to pick up where Raymond
Carver left off: anatomizing all the ways that American masculinity finds itself adrift, with a special
thought for the women in the same lifeboat. Murphy sees how we live so plainly and clearly that, in the
best possible way, it hurts.
— Lou Bayard
Author of The Pale Blue Eye
For those of us who powered through complicated relationships with our fathers. For those of us who still struggle with what being a man means and what it doesn't mean. Sean Murphy offers a beautiful, honest and heart-rending portrait of what it means and could mean. But, most importantly, casts the brightest light on what it means to be human.
— Brian Broome
Author of Punch Me Up to the Gods
This Kind of Man examines the moving target of modern masculinity and asks, from multiple angles, What is a man? The discourse around this question has been shockingly absent from the literary landscape, whether due to a lack of bravery or a certain paralysis that accompanies such an inquiry. Yet Murphy dives in head-first, offering stories that explore marriage, fatherhood, aggression, alcoholism, gender expectations, generational backlash, and more with nuance, humor, and an abundance of truth. His prose thrillingly invites us to think deeply. Instead of hiding from what it means to be a man today, he gives us a broad canvas from which to take in the answers, plural, to this essential question.
— Cheryl Della Pietra
Author of Gonzo Girl
The stories in Sean Murphy’s extraordinary collection This Kind of Man are swift, sharp, sometimes harsh, often sad, but so absolutely, transcendentally honest that the final effect is thrilling, a form of liberation. I know of no other eulogy for the post-war American male that so deftly captures the mingled love and anger of fathers and sons.
— Robert Anthony Siegel
Author of Criminals: My Family’s Life on Both Sides of the Law
In This Kind of Man, Sean Murphy excavates the complicated, tender, wild truth of what it is to be a man across generations and relationships. His wistful, funny, precise honesty lights up the page and helps the reader see the complexity of the filter of maleness. An insightful and necessary book.
— Karen E. Bender
Author of Refund, Finalist 2015 National Book Award
With its refreshing vulnerability, frankness, and insights, This Kind of Man fills a void in our literary landscape by artfully capturing both the tender and tormented sides of masculinity. Sean Murphy’s courageous stories do what groundbreaking literature should do—simultaneously comfort and disturb its readers. This is an important, indispensable read for our times.
— Whitney Collins
Author of Big Bad and Ricky & Other Love Stories
Twenty-first-century manhood is a minefield – a terrain riddled with hidden dangers. A wrong word, a
long-held grudge, even a mistimed joke can easily end in disaster. Traversing such explosive territory
requires tremendous skill, a bucketful of courage, and no small amount of humor. Sean Murphy’s This
Kind of Man has all three, in spades.
— David McGlynn
Author of One Day You’ll Thank Me: Lessons from an Unexpected Fatherhood
From yearnings never expressed by “strong and silent” types to competitive father/son relationships,
veteran misogynists and burgeoning incels, Murphy’s new collection looks straight at the worst traits
of the white American male with a view to the future where these men can do better, be better, think
beyond themselves. A timely, gripping read by a courageous writer.
— Courtney Maum
Author of The Year of the Horses
