A Lite Too Bright

For fans of literary classics such as The Catcher in the Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower comes a stirring new thought-provoking novel from debut author Sam Miller about a loss shrouded in mystery with twists and turns down every railway.

Arthur Louis Pullman the Third is on the verge of a breakdown. He’s been stripped of his college scholarship, is losing his grip on reality, and has been sent away to live with his aunt and uncle.

It’s there that Arthur discovers a journal written by his grandfather, the first Arthur Louis Pullman, an iconic Salinger-esque author who went missing the last week of his life and died hundreds of miles away from their family home. What happened in that week—and how much his actions were influenced by his Alzheimer’s—remains a mystery.

But now Arthur has his grandfather’s journal—and a final sentence containing a train route and a destination.

So Arthur embarks on a cross-country train ride to relive his grandfather’s last week, guided only by the clues left behind in the dementia-fueled journal. As Arthur gets closer to uncovering a sad and terrible truth, his journey is complicated by a shaky alliance with a girl who has secrets of her own and by escalating run-ins with a dangerous Pullman fan base.

Arthur’s not the only one chasing a legacy—and some feel there is no cost too high for the truth.

On a train hurtling across America, Arthur isn’t just chasing his grandfather’s ghost—he’s running from his own.

• A Gripping Mystery and Suspense: Guided by a journal scrambled by dementia, Arthur follows a trail of clues that grows more dangerous with every stop.
• Authentic Mental Health Fiction: A raw and honest portrayal of a young man on the verge of a breakdown, grappling with grief, loss, and what it means to lose your grip on reality.
• Literary Fiction for Teens: For readers who loved The Catcher in the Rye, this novel explores profound questions of identity, family, and the stories we tell ourselves.
• An Unlikely Alliance: On his journey, Arthur teams up with a mysterious girl with her own secrets, but can he trust her when a dangerous fan base is also hunting for the truth?