The sky is falling for the Caspers, a family of cowards: for Jonathan, a paleontologist, searching in vain for a prehistoric giant squid; for his wife, Madeline, an animal behaviorist with a failing experiment; for their daughter, Amelia, a disappointed teenage revolutionary; for her younger sister, Thisbe, on a frustrated search for God; and for grandfather Henry, who wants to disappear, limiting himself to eleven words a day, then ten, then nine. Each fears uncertainty and the possibilities that accompany it. When Jonathan and Madeline suddenly decide to separate, this nuclear family is split, each member forced to confront his or her own cowardice, finally coming to appreciate the cloudiness of the modern age. With wit and humor, The Great Perhapspresents a revealing look at anxiety, ambiguity, and the need for complicated answers to complex questions.

"Meno (Hairstyles of the Damned) continues to employ his keen observations of human nature, this time exploring the tumultuous landscapes of a contemporary Chicago family. The narrative rotates between members of the Casper family, giving each time and space to dig into their respective quirks. Jonathan, the father, is a scientist caught in a quest for a prehistoric squid and is prone to seizures at the sight of clouds. Madeline, Jonathan's wife, also a scientist, studies the behavior of her murderous lab pigeons and is distressed by the growing distance between family members: elder daughter Amelia is a teenage anticapitalist crusader already becoming weary of the fight; youngest daughter Thisbe's desire to find God is met with much concern from her atheist parents; grandfather Henry's sole desire is to make himself disappear. As the family's preoccupations rattle on and bang up against one another, the recently begun war in Iraq provides background noise and another dimension to the intricate and intimate tale. Meno's handle on the written word is fresh and inviting, conjuring a story that delves deeply into the human heart." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Joe Meno's fiction has it all — humor and heart, moral gravitas, and a formal playfulness that catches you pleasantly by surprise." Ed Park, author of Personal Days

"A terrible fear of clouds, an obscure search for giant squid and a bomb-building teenage girl: Joe Meno has imagination, humor and the rare ability to make characters seem as near as your own family — sometimes almost too close for comfort. An intriguing and heartfelt book." Lydia Millet, author of How the Dead Dream

"[C]ontains more elements of magical realism than Meno's previous work, yet even the human-shaped cloud that Madeline chases for weeks somehow seems real thanks to the note-perfect dialog and narrative." Library Journal

With wit and humor, this new work from acclaimed author and playwright Meno (Hairstyles of the Damned) presents a revealing look at anxiety, ambiguity, and the need for complicated answers to complex questions.

Nelson Algren Literary Award winner Joe Meno is the author of four novels and two short story collections, including Demons in the Spring. He is a professor of creative writing at Columbia College Chicago, where he lives with his wife and daughter.