<DIV>M. J. Hyland is the award winning and Man Booker shortlisted author of <i>Carry Me Down</i>. Her third novel, <i>This Is How</i>, is a psychologically probing and deeply moving account of a man at odds with the world. Patrick Oxtoby is a perpetual outsider longing to find his niche. When his fiancé breaks off their engagement, Patrick leaves home and moves to a remote seaside village. In spite of his hopes for a new and better life, Patrick struggles to fit in or make the right impression. He can't shake the feeling that his new friends are con­spiring against him, further fracturing his already fragile personality and prompting him to take a course of action that permanently alters the course of his life.<br><i>This Is How</i> is a mesmerizing and meticulously drawn portrait of a man whose unease in the world as it is leads to his tragic undoing. With breathtaking wisdom and astute insight into the human mind, Hyland's latest is a masterpiece that arouses horror and sympathy in equal measure.</DIV>