Overview

Giovanni Zappacosta-O’Hara suspects that there’s more to his family’s legacy than he’s been told. His parents recount the history in devastating, scandalous, and rollicking tales, while Gio and his boyfriend joke that there must be lies woven into the details.

When his boyfriend is struck with cancer, the laughter stops. Gio can’t bear watching the disease eat away his life, his sanity, and the person he loves. Full of shame, he flees to New York, using his family history as a feeble excuse—he’s going to get to the bottom of it.

What happens next forces Gio to confront his cowardice and find a different motivation for his book: redemption. As he retells the stories, he discovers family secrets that make him question his identity. The hilarious and heartfelt characters he finds along the way give him surprising chances to get over himself—but will he take them?

“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!”
— Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of MEET ME AT THE LAKE and THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT