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Epilogue: A Memoir
For Will Boast, what looked like the end turned out to be a new beginning. After losing his mother and only brother, twenty-four-year-old Boast finds himself absolutely alone when his father dies of alcoholism. Numbly settling the matters of his father’s estate, Boast stumbles upon documents revealing a closely guarded secret his father had meant to keep: he’d had another family entirely, a wife and two sons.
Setting out to find his half-brothers, Boast struggles to reconcile their family history with his own and to begin a chapter of his life he never imagined.
Setting out to find his half-brothers, Boast struggles to reconcile their family history with his own and to begin a chapter of his life he never imagined.
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2014
91 people are currently reading
1290 people want to read
About the author
Will Boast
7 books26 followersWill Boast was born in England and grew up in Ireland and Wisconsin. His story collection, Power Ballads, won the 2011 Iowa Short Fiction Award. His fiction has appeared in Best New American Voices 2009, Narrative, Glimmer Train, The Southern Review, and The American Scholar, among other publications. From 2008-2010, he was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. He lives in San Francisco and moonlights as a musician around the Bay Area."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
January 23, 2015
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2015
This was an incredibly moving, beautifully written memoir. I was in the same class in high school as Rory and was in concert band with Will. It was so fascinating to read his thoughts about where we grew up-I echoed so many of them. I remember the terrible accident that Rory was in, they were my classmates- but we didn't really know each other. It brings back a longing for the small town in which I grew up, which I feel like it would do for anyone.
June 19, 2014
I received an ARC copy of this book as a goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This is a beautifully written memoir of a life that has seen multiple tragedies, and also some surprises that have changed that life for the better. Author Will Boast has gone through the painful process of examining the complicated relationship he had with his father and the secrets his father withheld from his sons. A highly competitive man who expected that his sons be nothing less than their best, he fell apart when the family suffered two tragedies in rapid succession.
What follows is Will's return trips to the family's native town in England and his reconnection with them.
Boast has gone through what was obviously a difficult, painful process of self-examination. His descriptions of both his memories and his attempt to reconcile himself to his new reality are unflinching. And, in the end, despite revelations about his family that he could have never foreseen, he emerges whole, and personally enriched by the process.
I highly recommend this book!
This is a beautifully written memoir of a life that has seen multiple tragedies, and also some surprises that have changed that life for the better. Author Will Boast has gone through the painful process of examining the complicated relationship he had with his father and the secrets his father withheld from his sons. A highly competitive man who expected that his sons be nothing less than their best, he fell apart when the family suffered two tragedies in rapid succession.
What follows is Will's return trips to the family's native town in England and his reconnection with them.
Boast has gone through what was obviously a difficult, painful process of self-examination. His descriptions of both his memories and his attempt to reconcile himself to his new reality are unflinching. And, in the end, despite revelations about his family that he could have never foreseen, he emerges whole, and personally enriched by the process.
I highly recommend this book!
April 15, 2015
I recently quit a book I was only a few chapters into because I hated it so much - I rarely RARELY do this, and I think it's the only reason I forced myself to finish this one. I'm pretty sure I got this off a best seller list, but I'm not really sure why. It just was...boring. And for a book that wasn't that long, it sure felt really long. I think when you're writing a book that jumps around on a timeline, you have to do it the right way. This just felt really disjointed.
The only reason I gave it two stars is that the writer (and it's a memoir) really did go through some terrible things and had some great passages that described the grieving process - particularly how everyone deals with it differently.
The only reason I gave it two stars is that the writer (and it's a memoir) really did go through some terrible things and had some great passages that described the grieving process - particularly how everyone deals with it differently.
February 8, 2020
I got about half a chapter in before reaching out to one of my very best reader friends, abuzz with excitement: "You know when you start a book, and within a few pages you're already in love with it?" That was how I felt about "Epilogue." The author's grief, confusion and sense of betrayal leapt off the page and buried themselves in my bones, calling forth similar feelings I'd experienced, making me relive them, making me ache for strangers in a memoir I'd only known about for half a minute.
It is one thing for a book to be engaging and relatable. It's quite another for a book to alter my emotional landscape so completely, and to do it with incredible subtlety.
"Epilogue" was an astonishing journey because it shouldn't have been. I opened it with full knowledge that it probably wouldn't be my thing, likely wouldn't speak to me. Father-brother-son relationships rarely do, perhaps because they feel so gendered and, therefore, exclusive. Off limits. But somehow, Will's grief became my grief. His family felt as real to me as my own. All I wanted for him was peace -- peace, and a healthier relationship with himself and his newly discovered siblings. And I had the privilege of feeling all these things amid direct, polished prose, supported by an unusual structure that jumped around in time and jumbled life events in an organic way, just as memories do.
So, I was right after all. Half a chapter was all it took to understand that I would fall in love with this book, and I'd be hard pressed to think of someone to whom I would not recommend it.
It is one thing for a book to be engaging and relatable. It's quite another for a book to alter my emotional landscape so completely, and to do it with incredible subtlety.
"Epilogue" was an astonishing journey because it shouldn't have been. I opened it with full knowledge that it probably wouldn't be my thing, likely wouldn't speak to me. Father-brother-son relationships rarely do, perhaps because they feel so gendered and, therefore, exclusive. Off limits. But somehow, Will's grief became my grief. His family felt as real to me as my own. All I wanted for him was peace -- peace, and a healthier relationship with himself and his newly discovered siblings. And I had the privilege of feeling all these things amid direct, polished prose, supported by an unusual structure that jumped around in time and jumbled life events in an organic way, just as memories do.
So, I was right after all. Half a chapter was all it took to understand that I would fall in love with this book, and I'd be hard pressed to think of someone to whom I would not recommend it.
January 23, 2015
From BBC radio 4 - Book of the Week:
Jamie Parker reads Will Boast's extraordinary family story. A moving account of loss, confronting long-held secrets and finding a way of facing the future.
Following the tragic deaths, in quick succession, of his mother, younger brother and father, American author, Will Boast, at the age of twenty-four, finds himself absolutely alone. It's while he's putting his father's papers in order that he discovers a family secret which takes him back to England and compels him to question everything he thought he knew about his parents.
Abridged by Miranda Emmerson
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
Jamie Parker reads Will Boast's extraordinary family story. A moving account of loss, confronting long-held secrets and finding a way of facing the future.
Following the tragic deaths, in quick succession, of his mother, younger brother and father, American author, Will Boast, at the age of twenty-four, finds himself absolutely alone. It's while he's putting his father's papers in order that he discovers a family secret which takes him back to England and compels him to question everything he thought he knew about his parents.
Abridged by Miranda Emmerson
Produced by Gemma Jenkins.
August 24, 2014
The prose is good, but people really need to stop writing memoirs about their angsty 20s. It is the most generic of subjects, no matter the trapping. Even the most sympathetic of circumstances are overwhelmed by the piteous self-centredness, as in this memoir. It took forever to read because it was so tedious, and I wasn't a fan of the narrative choices: too fragmented for my liking. Honestly only even gave it three stars because I'm overly fond of football stories, as in his chapter about going to see the Saints play.
September 25, 2014
What a terrific example of the Semisonic principle: Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. Will Boast endured almost unimaginable personal loss in his early adulthood. He became the epilogue to his family history, an appendix in the medical and literary senses. Or so he thought. The journey of Will's highs and lows as he reminisces about his parents and brother and meets the family he didn't know he had is not to be missed. Epilogue is deeply personal without being egocentric and deeply poignant without being sappy.
February 27, 2018
It wasn't a bad book, it just went around in a continuous circle. Never went anywhere.
November 21, 2025
Very poorly written memoir, a real mess that has nothing to it beyond a lot of repetitive dwelling on a few family deaths. It's organized all wrong, with adult chapters mixed in with his childhood and things getting very confusing. The guy lived in England, Ireland, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Virginia--then he tries to tell his story by jumping back and forth in the timeline with no sense of order. With so many different locations involved it's hard to know where he is at any point, and the author seems to assume we all know everything about those locations.
Maybe you could tolerate the bad writing if his story was intriguing but it's not. It should be--after his father died the author discovered the man had been married before and Will goes to meet his two half-brothers. But the book jacket tells you that! There is no mystery to this story that gives away the major plot up front, then spends most of it rehashing his depression and sad feelings over and over again. There's nothing inspirational or even interesting about it.
Then, he states that "late in the revision of this book," a twist pops up. His including it in the final pages is so half-baked and under-told that it made me want to scream "there's your story--why aren't you telling more about that?" It made me feel like I had wasted my time with a guy that was simply using his memoir as a therapy device to wallow in his sadness over family members' deaths.
Along the way he makes unnecessary jabs at Republican leaders like George W. Bush and Boast inaccurately states things about America. He includes a lot of filler, as if he ran out of story early on and inserts dumb chapters about his working in a library and his lack of success with women. He dwells so much on his younger brother's death that for some reason, after he has covered all the territory a couple of times already, he circles back at the end to restate the same stuff again.
In the end it felt like a good two-page book proposal was turned into a directionless, watered-down 280 pages. It needed a serious editor, chronological order, much more emotion, and about 100 fewer pages. The irony is that this inept writer mishandles the big twist about his mother that was the real epilogue we should have heard about.
Maybe you could tolerate the bad writing if his story was intriguing but it's not. It should be--after his father died the author discovered the man had been married before and Will goes to meet his two half-brothers. But the book jacket tells you that! There is no mystery to this story that gives away the major plot up front, then spends most of it rehashing his depression and sad feelings over and over again. There's nothing inspirational or even interesting about it.
Then, he states that "late in the revision of this book," a twist pops up. His including it in the final pages is so half-baked and under-told that it made me want to scream "there's your story--why aren't you telling more about that?" It made me feel like I had wasted my time with a guy that was simply using his memoir as a therapy device to wallow in his sadness over family members' deaths.
Along the way he makes unnecessary jabs at Republican leaders like George W. Bush and Boast inaccurately states things about America. He includes a lot of filler, as if he ran out of story early on and inserts dumb chapters about his working in a library and his lack of success with women. He dwells so much on his younger brother's death that for some reason, after he has covered all the territory a couple of times already, he circles back at the end to restate the same stuff again.
In the end it felt like a good two-page book proposal was turned into a directionless, watered-down 280 pages. It needed a serious editor, chronological order, much more emotion, and about 100 fewer pages. The irony is that this inept writer mishandles the big twist about his mother that was the real epilogue we should have heard about.
October 22, 2014
What if by age 24 you had lost your mother, father and only sibling? What if you then also discovered that your father had been married before he married your mother and that you had two half brothers? And what if you came upon this information after going through your father's papers after his death? This is exactly what happened to Will Boast. After losing his whole family it was consoling to know he had two half brothers but awkward to meet the brothers and have to reveal that his father had never mentioned them. It was as if they had no longer existed for their father. Will had many unanswered questions he would have liked to ask his mother and father surrounding this secrecy. He also experienced a whole different feeling about his youth. This revealing book shows the courage and strength Will had in coming to terms with his changing reality. I thoroughly enjoyed this well written memoir.
July 8, 2015
I absolutely loved this book. Although I knew Will (as a student of mine) while he was going through much of the profound loss he experienced during college, I had absolutely no idea at the time. As I read the book--so well written and such a compelling read!--I got a fuller sense of his own inner struggles and just why he kept so much of his life experiences to himself. What an honest, truly engaging piece of work. Well done, Will.
October 1, 2014
Incredible, beautiful and moving memoir. Will Boast's prose flows from past to present (well, recent past), melding memories with family legend as he digs into his family's long-buried secrets. Truly beautiful to read.
April 3, 2015
This is a must read! I truly believe every reader will gain something from reading this heartfelt memoir. This book is very hard to put down and keeps the reader wondering where the narrative will lead to next. Five star rating easily!
February 6, 2018
Looking at the reviews both on Goodreads and on Amazon I noticed that people either LOVED this book or really didn't like something about it. I actually hated it and had to drag myself through it. Self centered, poor me.....I just could not stand the whiny attitude through his "discoveries". Lots of folks have experienced tragedy and don't feel the need to bore people with their story. To be fair I experienced a close situation in my childhood where 40 years later I discovered siblings but in my case my parent deserted our family to start another. Since the day he walked out I have tried to just face the life God gave me and deal with the ups and downs. To be fair, I read the book, only because a dear friend recommended it. She loved it. We usually have similar tastes, maybe this one hit too close to home. You be the judge.
February 6, 2018
I read this book in 2 evenings but feel as if I'd lived all the years remembered inside this memoir.
This memoir is of a young man losing his family and finding another one hiding alongside his grief. The writer's art makes it all so immediate and, yes, painful, as he tells the story over and over again, from a different point of view. The author takes the reader along with him as he travels from one viewpoint to another, from one discovery to another, and when they are all added up it is still a mystery as all of our lives are mysteries even to ourselves. But the saving grace is that the author learns that families can grow from the unlikeliest circumstances. In other words, a happy ending.
This memoir is of a young man losing his family and finding another one hiding alongside his grief. The writer's art makes it all so immediate and, yes, painful, as he tells the story over and over again, from a different point of view. The author takes the reader along with him as he travels from one viewpoint to another, from one discovery to another, and when they are all added up it is still a mystery as all of our lives are mysteries even to ourselves. But the saving grace is that the author learns that families can grow from the unlikeliest circumstances. In other words, a happy ending.
November 14, 2019
Lately I haven't been able to find a book that held my interest -- until I started Epilogue by Will Boast. He writes his own story about growing up, and one by one losing first his mother, then his brother and then his father in a fairly short span of time.
He tells of his father's drinking, his brother's drinking and his mother's illness and kept my attention throughout. Then he learns that he has half brothers across the pond, in England where he himself was born. Settling probate, he has to contact those brothers and starts to become aquainted with them.
I found this to be a very compelling and human story about real people and told in a way that drew me in and kept my attention. I recommend this book.
He tells of his father's drinking, his brother's drinking and his mother's illness and kept my attention throughout. Then he learns that he has half brothers across the pond, in England where he himself was born. Settling probate, he has to contact those brothers and starts to become aquainted with them.
I found this to be a very compelling and human story about real people and told in a way that drew me in and kept my attention. I recommend this book.
December 15, 2018
A tragically extraordinary story, told extremely poorly. The writing style was an inconsistent mish mash of empty descriptions / flash backs / journal-entry styled reflections / third person / first person / past / present scenes that felt like it was written at different moments and then compiled together afterwards. Felt like he was still ruminating his personal development and had not come to terms / peace with any of it. He himself was not a likeable character. It also felt he was too careful with describing real people and didn't want to insult anyone apart himself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2018
Real life excellent writing
I laughed and cried .. cried a lot. Such a very real and heartfelt story about a family and hardships that befall so many of us. Will Boast is an excellent writer. I love biographies and this was truly a favorite. A very sad tale but I don't know many truly honest accounts of a real life story that doesn't include ups and downs, though Will experiences many at a young age. A brave, courageous author. I highly recommend to biography lovers.
I laughed and cried .. cried a lot. Such a very real and heartfelt story about a family and hardships that befall so many of us. Will Boast is an excellent writer. I love biographies and this was truly a favorite. A very sad tale but I don't know many truly honest accounts of a real life story that doesn't include ups and downs, though Will experiences many at a young age. A brave, courageous author. I highly recommend to biography lovers.
February 23, 2018
The best thing anyone can say about a book is that I hated that it finished. and wanted more. I don't want to give anything away a bout this book, but I will tell you that from page one I was a willing captive and it truly is one of the best books I have read in ages. I am on board and will read anything he writes, even if on a wall, it promises to touch your heart.
June 10, 2018
A retelling of loss and rebirth
Wil Boast tells the story of his life, his losses, his discoveries, and his rebirth. His prose is real and beautiful at the same time. His frequent flashbacks are sometimes hard to follow, but if you let go of any preconceived notions of how a life story “should be told,” it is quite effective.
Wil Boast tells the story of his life, his losses, his discoveries, and his rebirth. His prose is real and beautiful at the same time. His frequent flashbacks are sometimes hard to follow, but if you let go of any preconceived notions of how a life story “should be told,” it is quite effective.
November 7, 2019
Will loses his mother, brother and father leaving him adrift at age 24. Then he discovers family secrets and goes on a journey to understand his father, family and himself. The story had me hooked, however, the writing style was somewhat offputting. The author jumps around in time. His writing is not fluid and I found myself distracted by the choppiness.
May 19, 2021
I thought this was sweet and heartwarming. Will Boast has been through so much and I liked his honest, matter-of-fact style of writing while still managing to be deeply serious at particularly sad moments. If I actually knew who he was I would've enjoyed this a lot more, I just saw it in the library and decided it looked fun (Radio 4's Book of the Week!) 😂
May 22, 2017
Very touching memoir as a writer retraces his youth and his eventual personal losses (and gains). Although his life path is undeniably difficult at every stage, he manages to discover a path in life that is not only fulfilling but notable.
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September 24, 2020An unusual choice of reading for me, but I found Will Boast's discovery that his father had two sons from an earlier marriage, and his account of tracing and meeting his brothers very moving. A beautifully written memoir.
January 18, 2021
A superb memoir. Emotionally wrenching and beautifully written. Boast's use of time is masterful, and his ability to be so honest and unsentimental in his delivery of such painful material is a lesson to all writers trying to craft stories that involve trauma and heartbreak.
May 8, 2017
I started reading this because it was a title recommended as a good example of a memoir. I found I wasn't interested in what happened to Mr. Boast, so I quit reading after a couple of chapters.
February 22, 2018
Splendid and mesmerizing account
The tragic losses, and seamless account of the author's reconciliation with his father's past, kept me spellbound. Gifted writer. Well done.
The tragic losses, and seamless account of the author's reconciliation with his father's past, kept me spellbound. Gifted writer. Well done.
October 24, 2019
I was both saddened and encouraged by this book and its topic. Well worth the read.
November 8, 2020
An interesting and incredulous read. A young man finding his familial roots that he didn’t know he had. All before this ancestry DNA kits which is the current fad
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews