“Elizabeth Searle has long worked the intersection of spectacle and news… Searle homes in on the manhunt that followed the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, around which she weaves the tale of a troubled family. A versatile, darkly comic writer, Searle brings a pulsing, kinetic quality to her work.” Joan Silverman, The Portland Press Herald
- Finalist, Midwest Book Awards
An ingeniously plotted, suspenseful novel written in blood, mother’s milk, and the unintended consequence of rage.
We Got Him is the story of one family’s inherited flaws, harbored guilts, and obsessive desires, whether for a child, a parent, or a second chance to do the elusive right thing.
Audio
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Praise for We Got Him
“Elizabeth Searle has long worked the intersection of spectacle and news…For her new novel, We Got Him Searle homes in on the manhunt that followed the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, around which she weaves the tale of a troubled family. A versatile, darkly comic writer, Searle brings a pulsing, kinetic quality to her work.” Joan Silverman, The Portland Press Herald
“I loved Elizabeth Searle’s new novel, We Got Him, which beautifully parallels the marathon bombing and search for the bombers with the story of an Arlington couple undergoing the premature birth of their hard-won baby… I couldn’t put it down and enjoyed the Faulknerian play and ambition, As I Lay Dying, here transformed to as I lay birthing.” DeWitt Henry, Goodreads
“Elizabeth Searle’s We Got Him is an ingeniously plotted, suspenseful novel written in blood, mother’s milk and the unintended consequence of rage. It is the story of one family’s inherited flaws, harbored guilts and obsessive desires, whether for a child, a parent or a second chance to do the elusive right thing. Powerfully worked against the unfolding events of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Elizabeth Searle’s taut drama of a young, pregnant stepmother and her troubled stepson, is a narrative tour de force, interweaving public and private acts of terror with the redemptive, but ever-fragile, forces of love.” Melissa Pritchard, author of Palmerino and A Solemn Pleasure
“Turning tragedy into great art… [A] magnificent new noveL… In it, Searle takes a very public tragedy and turns it into personal and profound art. And could it be more timely?” Caroline Leavitt, Carolineleavittville.com
“Working surmise and revelation with a caffeinated accuracy, Elizabeth Searle replays the drama of the Boston Marathon bombings, exploring how public tragedy invades and unsettles an already unsettled home life. We Got Him assesses the nature of extraordinary circumstance and what it then takes to negotiate happiness.” Sven Birkerts, critic and author of Changing the Subject: Art and Attention in the Internet Age
“Elizabeth Searle’s We Got Him is an intimate, breathless ride-along with a husband and wife who find themselves on the brink of their baby’s premature birth amid the chaos set off by the Boston Marathon bombings. Searle weaves a tautly told tale that combines high family drama with the tension of a city under virtual lockdown, terrorized by bombers who remain on the loose. A compelling and poignant novel from a master portrayer of the place where domestic and current events meet — and sometimes collide.” Jessica Treadway, author of Lacy Eye
“Fascinating.. A real page-turner… rich with character… It’s the kind of fiction that reads like non-fiction… It’s a hell of a good novel.” Bruce Pratt, ‘Sports lit,’ WZON radio (Maine); “Downtown with Rich Kimball”
“This book is quite fascinating.” Diane Goshgarian, “Behind the Pages” (BCA TV, MA)
“Suspenseful!” Alberto Vasallo III, “Urban Update” (Boston, Channel 7 - NBC)
“Elizabeth Searle is an electric talent and ‘We Got Him’ is a highly charged, vividly written page turner. Set amidst the 2013 Boston bomber manhunt, Searle’s intimate narrative captures both female and male experiences of sex and birth, joy and terror. Testing taboo limits, tuned to our pop culture pulsebeat, Searle creates spellbinding tales for our times.” Ann Hood, bestselling author of The Knitting Circle