2008: a Novel

by Susan McCarty

Disillusioned former high school sweethearts must come to terms with their past and present in the face of a tragedy.

It’s 2008: the age of the blog, the dawn of social media, and the birth of the smartphone. Obama is running for president on a slogan of hope, while in the shadows, an opioid crisis emerges, and the housing market teeters. Stevie and Sam, two old high school flames who have grown up and grown apart, are brought back together in the aftermath of a tragedy that throws them off the tracks of their lives. Sam, a struggling realtor, is determined to solve a mystery at any cost. Stevie hits on a plan for a “redo” that involves abandoning her adult life to relive her teenage glory days. As both struggle inside the mediocrity of their early adulthoods, the disenchanted world begins to reveal itself, and secrets threaten to overwhelm them. On the cusp of a new era of uncertainty, these old friends must find ways to reconcile their past and find their way home.

312 pages, Paperback

Expected publication February 19, 2026

Reviews

[Tara]

2008: A Novel is a poignant and evocative exploration of love, regret, and the delicate reconciliation between past and present. McCarty masterfully transports readers to a pivotal year, the dawn of social media, the rise of the smartphone, and Obama’s historic campaign, while grounding the story in the intimate, complicated lives of Stevie and Sam.

The novel shines in its portrayal of everyday struggles and the nuanced ways the past informs the present. McCarty’s prose is both tender and unflinching, capturing the subtle heartbreaks, humorous missteps, and moments of revelation that define early adulthood. This is a story that will resonate deeply with anyone navigating lost opportunities, personal growth, and the search for meaning amid life’s uncertainties.

[David Carriere]

2008 is a quietly devastating portrait of early adulthood colliding with a world on the brink of collapse. Set against the cultural and economic fault lines of a pivotal year, Susan McCarty captures the ache of disillusionment with remarkable emotional precision. Stevie and Sam’s reunion feels painfully authentic, shaped by regret, unrealized ambition, and the haunting pull of who they once were. The novel excels not through spectacle, but through its intimate understanding of how personal lives fracture alongside national uncertainty. Thoughtful, restrained, and deeply human, 2008 speaks to readers who recognize how history leaves fingerprints on private heartbreak.