THIS ISN'T GOING TO END WELL The True Story of a Man I Thought I Knew

Michael Crouch immediately projects the author's hero worship of his future brother-in-law, William Nealy. At the age of 12, Wallace admires 18-year-old Nealy's derring-do as he jumps from a roof into the family swimming pool. Crouch proceeds to render Wallace's tongue-in-cheek portrait of his "rock star" mentor who taught him everything from caring for a boa constrictor to building a waterbed frame. The fairly neutral narration is tinged with the author's admiration for Nealy's gifts--repairing, publishing, illustrating, playing extreme sports, and loyally caring for Wallace's sister after the early onset of rheumatoid arthritis. Crouch's tone turns somber and mournful when Wallace discovers Nealy's journals, in which he writes about the sadness and suffering of his hidden self before his suicide at age 48. S.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2023]