The Imagined Life

A taut and elegiac novel that follows a man determined to uncover the truth about the father who vanished from his life

"The Imagined Life is many things: a deft exploration of male relationships, a mediation on how much we inherit from those who raise us, a study of shame set across the AIDS epidemic, but above all, it''s a poignant, achingly beautiful story of human love, and the lengths we''ll go to for those we care for." 

"Porter''s skills are once again on clear display in this novel— its use of telling detail, its effective economy of repetition, its fruitful ambiguity. The Imagined Life is compulsively readable... its owners can look forward to its vein of attenuated nostalgia and cautious hope."

"A deeply affecting and atmospheric novel, The Imagined Life will linger long in the memory."

"Steeped in beautiful melancholy, The Imagined Life is a plangent, sensual meditation on forgiveness, written with finger-tip sensitivity. Boldly tender and calmly powerful, a novel to disappear into."

"Such an alluring novel, with echoes of The Goldfinch. I was completely absorbed."

"The Imagined Life [is] endowed with sympathy and propelled by the mystery behind the Mills family''s undoing. You want to find out what happens."

"Elegiac, poignant."

"In measured and elegant prose, Porter gently unravels one family''s life amidst the vindictive world of literary academia. Ambition and betrayal are beautifully counterpointed by sun-drenched Californian pool parties and a languid soundtrack of Fleetwood Mac and Frank Sinatra. Like the best of Richard Ford, this is a tender, melancholy book to savour."

"Stylish, nostalgic, and quietly devastating, The Imagined Life is a haunting meditation on memory, inheritance, and the fragile architectures of family."

"Impressively moving... Andrew Porter confronts with sensitivity and insight [the question] Is it ever possible for us to truly know our parents?"

“The Imagined Life is a wise and elegant novel. Andrew Porter bestows so much grace on the confusion of growing up and the relatable anguish of looking back and recognizing our parents as people—true people—who struggle just as mightily with sorrow and love.”

“With its quiet confidence and elegant precision, The Imagined Life is a masterpiece of memory, music, and longing. Andrew Porter is one of our finest prose stylists, and everything he’s turned his attention to here—a troubled adult son struggling to understand his troubled father; the slow disintegration of an American family; a boy coming of age amidst the wine and weed of California in the early ‘80s—shimmers into pure gold.”

“The Imagined Life delves into the space between the people we love and who we wish them to be. With unsentimental precision, Andrew Porter examines the flawed relationship between a father and son, approaching it with the grace of a true literary master.”

"Kaleidoscopic and cinematic, The Imagine Life captures the ineffable quality of childhood memory with startling precision. Soul-stirring.

A taut, elegiac, and engrossing read, The Imagined Life follows Steven Mills, a man in a struggling marriage who becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about the father who vanished from his life when he was only twelve.

Driving up the coast of California, Steven seeks out his father’s friends, family, and former colleagues, and is transported back to his 1980s childhood: his parents’ legendary pool parties, black-and-white films on the backyard projector, his father’s male friends in the cabana house… With every revelation his father becomes more difficult to recognise, and, with every insight, Steven must confront truths about his own life.

In cinematic prose, Andrew Porter explores the full nexus of male relationships: fathers and sons, husbands and lovers—set achingly against the US AIDS epidemic and the homophobia of the 1980s—and masterfully weaves a tale of trauma, generational secrets, forbidden love, and shame.

• | Author: Andrew Porter
• | Publisher: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd
• | Publication Date: Aug 14, 2025
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781787705906
• | ISBN-10: 1787705900