NEW YORK – Jason Reynolds, a celebrated voice in children’s literature for more than 10 years, is turning his attention to adult fiction.
Scribner announced Wednesday that Reynolds’ first novel for adults, “Father, Father,” is scheduled for publication in June. The story follows two brothers on a cross-country road trip as they navigate their conflicting memories and emotions surrounding their recently deceased father.
Reynolds describes “Father, Father” as “an intimate tale about journeying toward each other while also confronting the complicated truth that human beings can be both awful and graceful in the same life.”
The author said the novel builds on a theme explored throughout his children’s books: adults who are imperfect and sometimes unable to express love in the right way. This time, however, those adults take center stage.
“It’s what I’ve tried to show in my previous works for children — flawed adults who sometimes struggle to deploy the right kind of love, except now, they aren’t the secondary focus,” Reynolds said in a statement released by his publisher. “In this story, the adults are front and center.”
Reynolds, 42, is the author of award-winning works including “All American Boys,” “Look Both Ways” and “Long Way Down.” The Library of Congress selected him as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature in 2020, a role he held until 2022.
With “Father, Father,” Reynolds joins a long list of acclaimed children’s authors who have written for adult readers, including J.K. Rowling, Judy Blume and John Green, whose “Hollywood, Ending” was released this fall.
