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Afternoon Hours of a Hermit

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A darkly funny and profoundly moving new novel by award-winning author Patrick Cottrell.

And who did I think I was, trying to teach the troubled youth how to write?...

I would say I was Dan Moran, a Korean adoptee, single, approaching forty, once plain-in-appearance as a woman, now ugly as a man, that’s who or what I thought I was.

Most importantly, I was no longer useless, I was a writer.

Five years after the death of his youngest brother, Dan Moran is now the published trans author of the autofictional novel Sorry to Disrupt the Peace. He is teaching fiction in Brooklyn and working on his next book–a psychological thriller–when a mysterious envelope arrives for him in the mail. Addressed to the wrong name, it includes a childhood photo of his deceased brother. But who would send such a thing, and why?

Against his better judgment, Dan returns to his childhood home on the eve of his brother’s memorial dinner. His estranged family is surprised to see him, but he ignores them. He drives around in his brother’s Honda Accord, believing he is a detective. He searches for a constellation of unidentified women who may have been involved with his brother, all while being mistaken for another man. He hopes his investigation will reveal exactly who he was to his brother, but in a series of unsettling and destabilizing encounters, what he discovers is the irrevocable distance between who we are and how we are perceived.

Afternoon Hours of a Hermit is Patrick Cottrell’s long-awaited second novel—an existential noir, an absurd comedy, a complex character study, and a heartbreaking inquiry into the paradox of identity, memory, and the very enterprise of writing fiction.

224 pages, Hardcover

Published April 21, 2026

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Patrick Cottrell

9 books242 followers

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5 stars
69 (17%)
4 stars
93 (23%)
3 stars
140 (35%)
2 stars
68 (17%)
1 star
19 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
Profile Image for Derek Driggs.
819 reviews78 followers
June 13, 2026
One of the more surprising books I’ve read all year, as I’d heard very little about it and picked it up somewhat randomly. But Cottrell seems to be the real deal, as they say. I loved his sentences and the way he constantly danced between tongue in cheek parody and real emotion. I liked the nods to more experimental postmodernists, especially Bernhard. I was really interested in the experience of being an international adoptee as well as a trans person and how deftly the narrator showed how his feelings around identity and perception and relationships were affected by his background. Cottrell somehow knows how to show emotion on a deep level without writing from an emotional place.

He also creates a quirky little noir-like mystery/psychological thriller that is meant to elude logic but is very attention-grabbing and also just fun.

It’s something special when a writer meticulously creates a narrator who feels so real in the way they struggle to process emotions, emotions which the writer has had to understand and process in order to foist them upon a character who is then able to convincingly struggle with those same emotions. It’s so easy to overplay the cards there, to tell the reader exactly what is being felt and why, to narrativize the feelings like we all do after the fact with big feelings. But instead we get a very in-the-moment, as-yet unprocessed and pre-narrativized character doing his best to just get by.

Yeah even though this was not prolonged enough for me to truly fall in love with it, for what it is it was fairly perfect. And also just so different from most of what I see in the literary young MFA adjacent world right now. Truly original. How rare is that??
Profile Image for Iris.
334 reviews339 followers
November 8, 2025
Actually exceptional, a damn find book to read.
Profile Image for Anna.
1,117 reviews853 followers
May 6, 2026
A frustrating read! Someone compared this to Evil Genius, but I’m missing that playful, seductive, identity-shifting energy. It’s almost the opposite. I don’t know what bothered me more: the static, self-centred voice, the lack of curiosity about others, or the need to control a shared narrative. Even the mystery (the brother, the women, the past) is about the protagonist, in contrast to Evil Genius, where the protagonist’s identity unfolds in relation to others and those others retain their opacity. The reveal and abrupt ending are flattened into another psychological loop. It’s like being talked at rather than being told a story.
Profile Image for Mayra Kalaora.
98 reviews
December 30, 2025
what an absurd book. and killer title. feeling cool and lucky to have gotten my hands on an advance copy. it was so strange. i loved the writing
Profile Image for Ellen Ross.
672 reviews83 followers
October 3, 2025
This book had the perfect amount of dark humor and the perfect amount of serious emotions to make it the ideal read. Dan was fascinating and complex and I was really rooting for him as he tried to get to learn more about his brother and the people that were in his life. This book put me right inside Dan’s brain. I swear I felt the emotions and confusion and the contemplations as if they were my own. Some parts had me puzzled and concerned while others left me snickering to myself. This is truly a unique and special book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Jacob Wren.
Author 14 books426 followers
May 15, 2026
A few short quotes from Afternoon Hours of a Hermit:


*


“Friendship has been a form of poison to me, I thought as I tried to picture my friends, especially my writer friends. I kept trying to picture them, my writer friends from the contemporary literature and adjunct scene in Brooklyn. No, the writer friends I pictured only reminded me of the palpable anxiety and awkwardness I felt whenever I interacted with them.”


*


“Perhaps part of the problem was I had surrounded myself with the fiction writers instead of the poets. I had chosen the wrong world to immerse myself in; the poets were nightclub docents of mourning and melancholia and the fiction writers were real estate agents.”


*


“I was ecstatic with joy whenever I had the opportunity to overhear what people said about me as if I weren’t there. Whenever I ran out of things to talk about during my creative writing workshop with the troubled youth, I would, without warning, get up from the conference table and wander out into the hallway, where, if I wasn’t careful, I could spend the rest of the class eavesdropping on my troubled youth, although they hardly ever said my name. I was nothing to them; they preferred to talk about debt, activism, gender, trauma, etc. I was disappointed when I didn’t hear my name come up.”


*


“A few years and nothing to show for all my troubles but the beginning of my psychological thriller, perhaps ten or twelve pages at most, the first ten or twelve pages are the easiest to write, I once said to Thomas Bernhard during office hours, the first ten or twelve pages are effortless, seamless, boundless, effortlessness; it’s the rest of it that’s completely insufferable. It never opens up the way I want it to, I explained to my mother and Aunt Sue. I only wanted to conjure a latticework of light and tranquility, but because of my limitations, I always end up suffocated in a broom closet of despair.”


*


“And some people might find it hard to believe I managed to write a book, a published one, knowing what they know about me, but during my time in graduate school, I learned it’s the most demented and mentally unwell writers who have the easiest time getting their books published, even the most awful, unhinged, stupid, and neurotic person can write and publish a book, then step into a roomful of strangers and talk about it and persuade them to buy it. Almost all my writer friends are suicidal in some way, I reflected, mostly in a soft, ambient way, their suicidal thoughts humming in the background like a refrigerator or a noise-machine, while others are openly suicidal, more suicidal forward.”


*
Profile Image for Cindy.
1,929 reviews44 followers
March 25, 2026
I didn't find this darkly funny, just dark...and sad. A white, Catholic, Wisconsin couple adopts three unrelated Korean children, and they become a family. The youngest took his own life five years ago when he was in his late teens/early 20s. Since then, the middle child has transitioned to male, although many of his relatives still address him by his "dead name." In the audiobook, this name is spoken as "Blank" (which I found confusing at first). There's also the eldest brother with whom the MMC had minimal interactions. Bottom line, a dysfunctional family, mental health issues, gender dysmorphia, suicidal tendencies, and estrangements all discussed almost dispassionately by the middle child: a self-proclaimed "detective" and published author now in pursuit of his second book.
The audiobook was well narrated. I just needed more resolution from the story, not just a recounting of old wounds.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @HarperAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #AfternoonHoursofaHermit for review purposes. Publication date: 21 April 2026.
Profile Image for Clara Peng.
82 reviews
June 3, 2026
“One day a very tall woman with excellent posture came into the store. She asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I said I wanted to go to as many Fiona Apple concerts as possible, I wanted to follow Fiona Apple around on tour. I was sixteen or seventeen. The tall woman looked me straight in the eye and told me that my dreams would come true if I joined the Marines because the Marines got to travel the world.”
Profile Image for Kathryn.
130 reviews2 followers
April 12, 2026
've never read anything like this. Patrick Cottrell has based this work of fiction on his real life experiences. It is his second novel with the first being a precursor for Afternoon Hours of a Hermit. I will definitely be going back and reading his first publication. I found this to be an easy read with some heavy topics but Cottrell inserts some dark humor in it and I did giggle at points. All in all though, you are reading Dan's perspective in the book and it leaves you questioning how reliable he is as far as his perception of how others feel about him and his assumptions. Dan is a trans male and throughout the book you see how disconnected his family is from him, how they don't honor his transition and keep referring to the person he was born, the person he was, his dead name. It was sad to read. Then at the other end of the spectrum you see how obsessed he has become trying to get answers for his brother's "untimely death". While he does get some answers, they were not what he was expecting nor were they asked. all while being someone obsessed with approaching those investigations to his own resolution. How reliable is he really? Hhhmmm...then again, I feel his behaviors and actions and feelings are all justified...

As with a lot of literary fiction, you aren't going to get resolution or answers. This was more about the characters and having understood that I think this book resonated much better than if I was waiting to get to those resolutions.

In addition to the book, I listened to the audio. Leo Sheng narrates Afternoon Hours of a Hermit and really did a great job. Leo has a pleasant tone and truly brought to life Dan Moran. Leo's delivery hit when it was needed and stayed afloat throughout the book, he was not flat at all.

Go into this book not expecting answers, go into it to learn about the character and his stories and what brought him to where we are today. If you do that then I think you will be satisfied. I thoroughly enjoyed this!
Profile Image for zac carter.
138 reviews2 followers
June 16, 2026
we are all very lucky to have writers like patrick cottrell, who shows over and over that writing is and can be anything you want. his work gives me strength. it’s akin to wearing something outside your comfort zone or getting a new hairstyle and, despite uncertainties, choosing to present with full confidence. no doubt in sight, but mostly because no one is looking for it. a wonderful novel that is heartbreaking and restorative, hilarious and grim, and so beautifully meta (start with sorry to disrupt the peace if you know what’s good for ya).
1,265 reviews34 followers
May 21, 2026
A quirky short novel…there are some big ideas here (about being trans, being adopted, being Korean, being a writer, being depressed, being part of a dysfunctional family, etc.)—but all wrapped up in a pseudo mystery, heavy on the sardonic humor and introspective reflection. I sometimes felt I was on the outside of an inside joke…but it was entertaining enough to keep me reading.
Profile Image for Melvin.
92 reviews4 followers
June 14, 2026
There's a few paragraphs of good prose in this, that's about it.
This book holds your hand throughout the entire length of it, in case you forgot who's a Korean adoptee or which one of the brothers is the youngest or the middle one, don't worry, the writer reminds you every 2 sentences. The cringiest, I'm-better-than-you, delusional main character. It's just a mess, but I think the writer could make something great in the future, there's definitely some gems in here.
Profile Image for Kashaf Rafique.
281 reviews1 follower
June 29, 2026
It would have been such a huge favor if this book had never been written. Utterly pointless and more boring than looking at a dark pit. At least that has the potential to spark your imagination.
Profile Image for Lisa.
40 reviews1 follower
June 15, 2026
Darkly funny? I kept waiting for a funny part and then it was the end of the book.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
96 reviews18 followers
June 4, 2026
Very mixed feelings about this book. But worthy of a 3-star rating b/c I did LIKE it, just didn’t love it. I certainly didn’t find it funny.

(I am a reunited adult adoptee, a decades long Adoptee Rights activist/advocate, the friend of several Korean adoptees, and the ADHD/Dyslexic mother of a Trans son who is also neurodivergent… so hopefully that is enough to explain my very mixed feelings)
Profile Image for Virgowriter (Brad Windhauser).
749 reviews11 followers
June 1, 2026
Really wanted to appreciate this book more. Narrator is kinda a dick as are the members of his family. The story is set uo that he will investigate the events that led to his brother’s suicide, but he learns very little by story’s end—doesn’t even learn much about himself. You don’t really learn that much about the narrator
Profile Image for Candice Stull.
11 reviews
March 27, 2026
I’m not entirely sure why this is a five-star read for me, which feels fitting for a novel that resists clarity at every turn.

Afternoon Hours of a Hermit is deeply disorienting—almost vertiginous. Being inside Dan’s mind feels claustrophobic: he fixates on his brother’s suicide, but even his grief turns inward, refracted through his own sense of self. I found myself constantly questioning him. Is he lying? Is he reliable? Does he even understand the world around him?

There’s a strange instability to everything—his job, his relationships, even reality itself. The novel hovers at the edges of something surreal without ever fully becoming it, which only deepens the unease. Dan is intensely introspective yet profoundly oblivious, so consumed with examining himself that he fails to truly see anything outside of him. Others treat him as if he’s barely there—and in some ways, he participates in that erasure.

It takes so long for his brother to even be named—Kevin—as if grief itself resists being fixed in language. And when clarity does come, it lands hard: “The person dissolves into nothingness, and you can’t bring them back.”

I didn’t always enjoy being in this book, but it stayed with me. There’s something quietly devastating about a character who observes everything and understands almost nothing—especially himself.

I closed it feeling unsteady, and somehow, that feels exactly right.
682 reviews27 followers
October 14, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for the ebook. Trans author Dan Moran is living a simple life as an author and teaching writing in Brooklyn, but as the five year anniversary of his younger brother’s suicide approaches, Dan gets an anonymous letter involving his brother that sends him back to his hometown, where most people still remember him as the depressed and angry daughter of the nice Christian couple who adopted three Asian children. Dan takes on the guise of a detective to try and learn if there was more to this suicide than anyone could have imagined.
Profile Image for Judy Ballard.
122 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2026
After Hours of a Hermit was simply not the book for me. Instead of telling a compelling story, it felt like the author was talking at the reader for pages on end. There was very little plot to hold my attention, and the endless introspection quickly became repetitive rather than thought-provoking.

The overall tone was relentlessly melancholy and emotionally heavy. I don't mind books that explore loneliness, isolation, or the darker sides of life, but this one never offered enough balance or momentum to keep me invested. Rather than feeling moved by the narrator's reflections, I found myself waiting for something meaningful to happen.

I honestly think the only reason Goodreads recommends this title is because Goodreads itself is mentioned throughout the book. Beyond that connection, I'm struggling to see why it has found such an audience.

Unfortunately, this was a disappointing read from beginning to end. Instead of feeling immersed in a story, I felt trapped inside a long, gloomy monologue. It never resonated with me, and by the time I finished, I was relieved it was over.
Profile Image for Lakshmi 🌸.
62 reviews2 followers
June 23, 2026
“When you’re living your life, you don’t search for signs of another person’s unhappiness or despair or suicidal thoughts or rage or desperation or hopelessness.”

This book was beautifully written and surprisingly engaging read. The prose flowed effortlessly, making it easy to move through the pages while still appreciating the depth of the writing. I enjoyed both the story and the narrator’s reflections, which felt intimate, thoughtful, and often quietly moving. Although the ending left me with questions, the novel’s exploration of loneliness, identity, and human connection stayed with me long after I finished it. Thoughtful, atmospheric, and beautifully crafted, this was a book I thoroughly enjoyed.
Profile Image for Chad.
609 reviews18 followers
June 22, 2026
I just love the way Patrick Cottrell observes the world and writes about it. This book is so closely embedded with Cottrell's previous novel, the exceptional Sorry to Disrupt the Peace, that it would do most readers a disservice to not be familiar with the story and characters before diving into this one.

A few things that I particularly enjoyed: the lovely use of motif; the voice and scene work; the evocative quality of family tension that is conjured; the way humor is deployed; the last page.

Reading Afternoon Hours of a Hermit gave me the same, incredibly intimate reading experience I had with Sorry. For this being a rather short novel, it left me a lot to consider and put me in a wonderful haze. Terrific stuff all around, there's no one out there that writes about grief like Cottrell. 4.5/5
Profile Image for Andrew.
2,060 reviews132 followers
February 10, 2026
A continued portrait of familial grief five years after a brother's suicide, except narrator Dan has transitioned to male, further alienating himself from his former peers in Milwaukee than he already was as a Korean adoptee. I don't think I've read anything quite like Afternoon Hours of a Hermit, and I was really invested in how Dan interpreted the people and events around him. Mysterious, poignant, and emotionally charged.
Profile Image for Christa.
653 reviews32 followers
June 17, 2026
It was advertised as "darkly funny and profoundly moving" but it was just...dark and absurd to me. The main character is trans in a family that refuses to recognize his identity, so he's constantly referred to as "blank" (dead name) with the wrong pronouns, and it was upsetting for me as the reader. The main character is also very...strange??? Delusional. THAT part was almost funny, but it came across as more sad (and then upsetting) to me. Such a weird book.
Profile Image for Alexander Abi Saad.
15 reviews
June 22, 2026
I enjoyed reading this book, mainly due to the character's unique personality that is quite mysterious while also not hesitant to share and get you to know him. The mystery element is there, but it gets too vague by the end. The ending is highly disappointing and feels weak rather than a solid conclusion to an otherwise bright novel. I also liked the character being trans without turning the book into a political manifesto.
Profile Image for gus.
41 reviews4 followers
June 28, 2026
A hypnotic audiobook listen given the blunt, sparse and repetitive nature of the prose. The novel is an exploration of an open wound and it definitely sunk me into a sad spot and is definitely not for everyone. I enjoyed the experience of exploring a protagonist feeling gendered, racial, and cultural alienation trying to be a detective, trying to find answers and resolutions that he knows are pretty unreachable.
Profile Image for Brandi.
Author 21 books99 followers
June 30, 2026
I read this one in a day—couldn't stop. Loved this narrator and the way this second book expands the previous novel but also stands on its own entirely.
Profile Image for Watty.
9 reviews2 followers
June 7, 2026
Not my type of book. It’s like someone reading their diary entries TO you instead of being sucked into a story. It’s one of those “all about me” stories and their POV. To Me, it feels like a high school English essay instead of a story that’s supposed to be a story of an almost 40 year old MC.

It was almost a DNF for me.
Profile Image for Nicole W.
68 reviews7 followers
May 15, 2026
Oh, the writing just thrilled me! It just all made so much sense, and I highlighted 49x (prob could have been more but I tried to hold myself back a bit), and I think I might have squealed with delight at various parts where I felt like, okay, yes, exactly; he's a genius. A few phrases have also solidly entered my and my husband's lexicon and have brought us great joy to sprinkle about in our verbal shorthand.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews