Congratulations, the Best Is Over!

In this hilariously candid memoir-in-essays, bestseller Thomas (Here for It) offers a glimpse at his experiences returning to his hometown of Baltimore from Philadelphia after decades away. The conversational pieces cover a wide range of subjects, including his marriage to a minister (whose job search landed the couple back in Maryland), his infatuation with Oprah’s Favorite Things, his attempts to build himself a Nancy Meyers kitchen, and his experience attending his 20th high school reunion only to discover the name tag he (a Black man) was assigned displayed the photo of a “white guy with blond hair.” The mood isn’t all light, however: Thomas opens up about his father-in-law’s death and his own bouts with depression (“It’s really more of an ongoing partnership than a struggle”), and he punctuates the proceedings with regular soul-searching, repeating the question “Who am I now?” as he revisits key locations from his past. The unfailingly entertaining essays burst with personality and amount to a full-fleshed portrait of all the beauty and difficulty of coming home again. This tender memoir captivates. Agent: Anna Sproul-Latimer, Neon Literary. (Aug.)