The Imagined Life

A Novel

De: Andrew Porter

Narrado por: Lee Osorio

From the award-winning, internationally acclaimed writer, a taut, elegiac novel about a man trying to uncover the truth about the father who left him behind

Steven Mills has reached a crossroads. His wife and son have left, and they may not return. Which leaves him determined to find out what happened to his own father, a brilliant, charismatic professor who disappeared in 1984 when Steve was twelve, on a wave of ignominy.

As Steve drives up the coast of California, seeking out his father’s friends, family members, and former colleagues, the novel offers us tantalizing glimpses into Steve’s childhood—his parents’ legendary pool parties, the black-and-white films on the backyard projector, secrets shared with his closest friend. Each conversation in the present reveals another layer of his father’s past, another insight into his disappearance. Yet with every revelation, his father becomes more difficult to recognize. And, with every insight, Steve must confront truths about his own life.

Rich in atmosphere, and with a stunningly sure-footed emotional compass, The Imagined Life is a probing, nostalgic novel about the impossibility of understanding one’s parents, about first loves and failures, about lost innocence, about the unbreakable bonds between a father and a son.

Cover image © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / DACS, London

Good writing

The author is a gifted writer but I simply couldn't get into the book. It was pretty easy to see where it was going early on. Even though I had no issue with the subject matter, I didn't want to go on the characters' journeys at this time in our history.

We all imagine how our lives could be different “if only” as a way to cope

This was a great story of dealing with family trauma in the middle of coming of age. The narrative wove compellingly between early adulthood and later in life while struggling with repeated patterns in relationships as learned from parents. We can all relate to elements of the book in one fashion or another. Being the same age as the protagonist I loved the pop culture throw backs!