Darling at the Campsite

When you end up back home, there’s always baggage to unpack.

Rowan Darling, an adrift thirty-three-year-old, owns a record store on a run-down block in Philadelphia.Then news of his estranged brother’s death forces a return to Maybee, Illinois, the hometown Rowan left in the dust years ago. Rowan’s plan? Dart in for the funeral, support his mother, then disappear just as quickly. Things to avoid? Margot Beckett, his childhood sweetheart, and Skid Hall, his former best friend who stole Margot and married her. Together, they’ve become the town’s “it” couple.

Unfortunately, as Rowan’s flash visit spirals beyond his control, he must face everything he’s dodged for too long. The woman he can’t have. The memory of the brother he thought he knew. His own dwindling prospects back in Philadelphia.

But Rowan also starts to see things more clearly—what’s worth fighting for, what he can let go of, how long he can keep running, and if maybe Maybee can be home again.


Genre: Literary Fiction

"Darling at the Campsite is a funny, warm, offbeat treasure about the families we don’t choose, and the search for identity. Abramowitz’s characters walk off the page." - Jonathan Evison

"Reminiscent of the best of Jonathan Tropper and Mathew Norman, Darling at the Campsite is a deep dive into heartbreak through the funny and wise eyes of author Andy Abramowitz. What starts out as a story of one guy’s loss of a high school love turns into a fertile and relatable tale about the lengths we go to protect ourselves from future pain—and end up finding our truer selves instead. I was envious all the way through and wished I’d written this wonderful book." - Ann Garvin

"Who would’ve thought a book about a funeral could be this funny and hopeful? Abramowitz tells the story of two brothers—one recently drowned, one alive but floundering—with the perfect balance of levity and earnestness. Full of surprises, endearing characters, and Talking Heads references, Darling at the Campsite is part homegoing story, part family drama, and part music nerdfest. Garden State meets High Fidelity, set in the present day. I could not put it down." - Suzy Krause

"With a mix of heartfelt tearjerkers, soaring ballads, and stuff that just plain rocks, Darling at the Campsite is like a great album that you go back to again and again. Andy Abramowitz writes with talent, humor, and a sneaky kind of wisdom that sticks with you long after you’ve turned the last page." - Matthew Norman