The Book That Captures My Life as a Dad

Once, when my daughter was six months old, my mind started wandering while washing dishes. The chore had become a soothing break from the ceaselessness of the baby’s need. I’d lose myself in thought as the warm water rushed over my hands, and this particular time, I was attempting to construct a theory of my dish-doing, how edifying and rewarding the rote task could be. My tentative title for the exercise was The Dish of Sisyphus, of which I was extremely proud, before a yell came from the next room and dispelled my crock philosophy.

As with most things that new parents don’t commit to paper, I quickly forgot this episode. A few months later, a friend—a childless writer friend—recommended Chris Bachelder’s 2011 novel, , to meBest known for his National Book Award–nominated , which follows a group of friends who get together each year as much for its literary merits as for its perspective on fatherhood.