Foil - by Evan Klonsky (Paperback)

About the Book

A struggling young man brutally stops an attempted suicide bombing at New York's Penn Station, cracking open the lives of both bomber and hero over 48 hours.

Book Synopsis

A thwarted suicide bombing at New York's Penn Station cracks open the lives of both the bomber and hero in this gripping exploration of fame in the age of social media, masculinity, and the destructive power of performative identities.

On the morning of his high school field trip, Xander Shine presents his occasional girlfriend Holly with an unexpected gift before suddenly vanishing from the subway car carrying his class. What seems like another typical outburst from a troubled student turns into shock and horror, as news alerts light up the group's phones and social media. An attempted suicide bombing has brought the city to a halt, and at the heart of the tragedy lies a young man clinging to life.

Sam has been drifting-stagnating in his relationship and career, and giving in to occasional, secretive drug use. He never saw himself as a man of action, but when he takes down a teenager wearing a suicide vest, potentially saving hundreds of lives, he's horrified by the chilling violence of his actions. Disoriented by suspicions from the police, uncertainty from his girlfriend, and the blinding spotlight of sudden fame, Sam finds himself overwhelmed by a life he never expected.

Over 48 hours, Foil unravels the inner worlds of these violent young men-and the young women left to piece together how their paths could have collided.

Weaving suspense with dark humor, Foil probes the complexities of love and alienation in the internet age, the hidden costs of heroism, and the painful truths we can't outrun.

Review Quotes

"This beautifully written story of heroism and its immediate aftermath flows from one character to another in sharp, bullet-precise moments...FOIL is at once breathtaking in its momentum, and leisurely in its generous peek into the characters' thoughts and emotions. I was hooked."-Maggie Hill, author of Sunday Money