THIS IS IT
A gay love story by Matthew Fox
OUT NOW • CLICK TO ORDER
​​
​
"A delicious, queer wonder of a book...that immerses us in a propulsive journey spanning decades. Author Matthew Fox will leave you both profoundly moved and deeply entertained, wishing you could spend a little more time in the saga he’s so tenderly offered us."
— Peter Knegt, CBC presenter, writer,
and producer
​​​
"Brimming with heart and humour, Matthew Fox's This Is It is...bold, clever, queer, and sexy. The novel-in-stories moves at a clip and stings with its emotional honesty. A musical masterwork that examines the boundaries of love and bravery."
— Christopher DiRaddo, queer author of The Family Way and
The Geography of Pluto
Giovanni Zappacosta-O’Hara stands on the bank of the East River on the morning of September 11, 2001 as a plane hits the World Trade Center. His boyfriend—the love of his life—may be on one of the doomed flights. Terrified of the potential tragedy, Gio makes the decision that will shape the rest of his life. THIS IS IT tells the story of what happens next. In order to find redemption and regain the capacity to love, Gio delves into the key moments of his past to root out just how he became who he is. As he retells the stories, he finds tender new ways to care, as well as hilarious characters that give him chance to re-find the spark of togetherness—but will he take them?
​
New York Times bestselling author of The Push and The Whispers
"Bold and punchy, affecting and tender, and funny as hell, This Is It reimagines the family saga, in a series of stories that pass like a baton as Gio and his boyfriend confront the tragedy in their own evolving love story. I smiled every time I sat down with this novel, through both the poignancy and the joyfulness—there’s so much to love about this insightful and heartfelt ode to the many ties that bind. Matthew Fox is a gifted storyteller."
Carley Fortune
#1 New York Times bestselling author of One Golden Summer and
This Summer Will Be Different
“Matthew Fox’s This Is It—about the stories and secrets that bind families and lovers—is nothing less than a modern masterpiece. Gut-wrenching, sharply observed, and deeply funny, the novel excavates generations of Zappacosta family lore to take the reader on an emotional journey unlike any other. Each sentence is a gift, wrapped in Matthew’s gorgeously dry wit. A tour de force that will leave you breathless!”
Author of About Canada: Queer Rights and host of Here & Queer
"This Is It is a consistently surprising unraveling of one family’s history that immerses us in a propulsive journey spanning decades. Author Matthew Fox will leave you both profoundly moved and deeply entertained, wishing you could spend a little more time in the saga he’s so tenderly offered us. A delicious, queer wonder of a book."
Author of I Felt the End Before It Came and Mouthquake
"I've never read anything like This Is It. No secret can ultimately withstand the brilliant and unusual way this family epic unfolds, especially not when an unruly queer is looking into the genealogy. The cast inhabit a kingdom where laughing at tragedy is sometimes the only way through. Bold and unforgiving, but never without empathy—This Is It will take you to totally unexpected places."
Author of Leading Men and The Saint of Lost Things
"Like our inscrutable families, like our most bedeviling love affairs, This Is It is a puzzle that reveals itself in bursts of insight, tender and startling revelations and self-implications, and in the everyday intimacies that form our messy, complicated lives. A wise, honest, and beautifully constructed novel."
Author of Wonder World
"Keenly observed and punctuated with a wry wit, Matthew Fox’s This Is It offers a moving meditation on queer love and loss. These interweaving, intergenerational stories are a stunning act of literary unearthing, examining the families we’re born into and the ones we choose through an unvarnished, but not unkind, lens. Fox has crafted a gripping read filled with fierce tenderness and aching poignancy. 'Does it hurt?' 'Just enough.'"