The Punch

Family dysfunction at its most compelling from the New York Times–bestselling author and creator of the Fargo TV series, "one of our great young writers" (Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize–winning author).

Joe Henry was the glue that held his family together. Now he is dead, and his wife and sons are coming together for one final journey to scatter his ashes. First, however, his loved ones have some things to work out.

David, the older son, believes that any minute his life is going to fall apart and everyone he loves will leave him. His brother Scott can't shake the belief that at heart, people are inherently rotten. Doris, their mother, just doesn't believe in anything anymore.

Wickedly funny and biting, The Punch is an essential exploration of modern American grief, family violence, and redemption from the bestselling author of Before the Fall and creator of the Emmy award-winning series Fargo.

"Noah Hawley really knows how to keep a reader turning the pages." —The New York Times

"Noah Hawley writes irresistible fiction. I devoured The Punch in three hours flat, stopping only to marvel over the freshness of a phrase or the effortless wit of a line of dialogue." ―Mary Roach, New York Times–bestselling author

"Like an American Martin Amis, Hawley expertly rides the line between hilarity and horror and deftly mines his characters' secret longings—their shame, hope, and desire. At times the story is so exquisitely uncomfortable you'll put your hands over your eyes, but you'll end up peeking between your fingers because it's so wickedly good. "—Tom Barbash, New York Times–bestselling author