The Realm of Last Chances (2013)
“This beautifully wrought book [is] so keenly observed that its depiction of these three lost souls conveys outsize emotional force. . . . The brilliance of this quiet, subtle novel stems from how it turns a light on the kind of lives that so often go unremarked, suffusing them with compassion, empathy and rare beauty.” — Washington Post
“Wonderfully resonant. . . Yarbrough is a great storyteller [and] a brilliant social observer [who] possesses a talent for detail that elevates The Realm of Last Chances to a novel that makes readers more observant about their own lives.” —Chicago Tribune
“What an exhilarating, intelligent, beautifully complicated novel. I love how richly peopled it is and I love the exact New England landscapes… But I think what made me read this book in a single sitting was the voice and the way in which it allowed me both to know and to not know Kristin, Matt and Cal. That combination makes The Realm of Last Chances wonderfully suspenseful. Every character has a secret sorrow.”
— Margot Livesey
“Steve Yarbrough stands among the first rank of contemporary novelists, and stands alone with the deep compassion and humanity he brings to his characters and their stories. The Realm of Last Chances is what all novels strive to be—boldly provocative, reflective, witty, and wise, and deeply insightful of the outer and inner workings of people, couples and communities, muddling along through life together. This novel is that rare achievement, a page-turner that also turns pages within the reader.”
— Jeffrey Lent
“Here's a riddle. What happens when you turn loose a world-class southern writer in an old New England town and tell him to have at it? Answer: Steve Yarbrough's magnificent new novel is what happens. The Realm of Last Chances reveals how it's not just Faulkner territory where the past isn't past, as Yarbrough explores the way one's family and community can both condemn and redeem us all, wherever we live. This beautifully-written story is the most honest, insightful, and, ultimately, affirmative novel about love under great stress that I've read in years.”
— Howard Frank Mosher