David Bergen

The Matter with Morris

An “immaculately written, trenchantly honest, hugely compelling” novel from the Giller Prize–winning author of Stranger (Globe and Mail).

When Morris Schutt, a prominent newspaper columnist, surveys his life over the past year, he sees disaster everywhere. His son has just been killed in Afghanistan, and his newspaper has put him on indefinite leave; his psychiatrist wife, Lucille, seems headed for the door; he is strongly attracted to Ursula, the wife of a dairy farmer from Minnesota; and his daughter appears to be having an affair with one of her professors.

What is a thinking man to do but turn to Cicero and Plato and Socrates in search of the truth? Or better still, to call one of those discreet “dating services” in search of happiness? But happiness, as Morris discovers, is not that easy to find. David Bergen’s most accomplished novel, The Matter with Morris, is an unforgettable story with a vitality, charm, and intelligence all its own. Bergen proves once again that he is a rare and exceptional writer, dazzling us with his wit and touching us with his compassion.

“The Matter With Morris is more interested in showing that simply getting on with life is one of the best ways to counter grief, a premise it supports with quiet effectiveness.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A beautiful, smart, deeply moving book.”—Miriam Toews, author of A Complicated Kindness

“Bergen writes earnestly about dignity and duty, particularly as they apply to fatherhood and women.” —Booklist