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Novel Inspiration Acclaimed novel takes inspiration from Irish-American family, teaching at Xavier
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he accolades keep coming for We Are Not Ourselves (Simon & Schuster), the debut novel by former Xavier High School faculty member Matthew Thomas. Based loosely on Mr. Thomas’ experiences growing up in Queens, the multi-generational novel is a portrait of one Irish-American family that paints a broader picture of immigrant families in mid-century America. The novel follows Eileen Tumulty, daughter of Irish immigrants, her marriage to Ed Leary, and the family’s pursuit of the American Dream. The story has resonated with multiple ethnic groups. “Readers have responded to the notion that hard work, education, and dedication to family actually yields some fruit,” said Mr. Thomas, who spent more than a decade writing We Are Not Ourselves. “I never intended it to be an Irish-American book, per se. I wrote about Irish-Americans because I grew up in an Irish-American family and had some perspective on that milieu,” he added. “Ultimately, it was my entrée into writing about the middle class.” The New York Times bestseller was short-listed for the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize and long-listed for both the Guardian First Book Award and the Folio Prize. The Washington Post named We Are Not Ourselves one of the Top 50 best fiction books of the year and Esquire called it one of the five most important books of 2014. Times book reviewer Janet Maslin described it as “big, honest, mesmerizing, painful, and impossible to put down,” listing it among her “10 Favorite Books of the Year.’’ The book has also been lauded for its telling details of day-to-day life that reveal deeper emotional truths about families, loyalty, and faith. Mr. Thomas has great empathy for his characters. “It’s very easy to see what looks like someone’s flaw and think that’s the limit of the person,” he noted. “But people want things for deep psychological reasons that are not immediately obvious. I hope the book encourages readers to reserve judgment about others and see that there is capacity for growth in everyone.” Mr. Thomas spent seven years as an assistant admissions counselor and English and creative writing teacher at Xavier. His experience makes it into the novel,
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particularly during the telling of the adolescent years of the Leary’s only child, Connell. “Because I had access to a generation of teenagers, I was better able to understand boys at that age,” Mr. Thomas said. Moreover, Jesuit values and ideals informed the novel’s portrayal of Ed, a brilliant neuroscientist who places students above money and prestige. “Ed has a selfless attitude toward teaching,” the author continued. “I was given access to understanding that way of thinking by being in a Jesuit environment, where the vocational aspect of teaching is paramount.” Despite the heartbreak endured by the Leary family, Mr. Thomas hopes readers will take away a positive message about cultural assimilation among immigrant families. “Younger generations, those who’ve grown up in America, are able to take so many things for granted,” he said. “There are so many things they blissfully assume— opportunity for advancement, sensitivity to difference, respect for plurality—that previous generations might have had little access to. That’s a wonderful thing.” We Are Not Ourselves is available at most booksellers. A paperback edition will be published in June. For further information, visit matthewthomasauthor.com.
Matthew Thomas, former Xavier faculty member and author of We Are Not Ourselves.