After the Lights Go Out

John Vercher

From Shelf: Brand new hardbacks publishing THIS WEEK!

After the Lights Go Out is a propulsive exploration of mixed-race identity, the price that athletes pay to entertain, and one man's battle to reconcile his past, from the CWA-shortlisted author of Three-Fifths.

How do you save yourself when you're the person you trust least of all? Xavier "Scarecrow" Wallace is a biracial Black MMA fighter on the wrong side of thirty, who is facing the comeback fight of his life. He is also losing his battle with pugilistic dementia - a struggle he can no longer deny. In the nursing home of his father, a white man suffering from end-stage Alzheimer's, Xavier witnesses shocking episodes that expose ugly truths about his past and his family. And as the big fight draws near, a sparring session with a younger competitor goes horribly wrong, leaving Xavier faced with a dangerous dilemma: throw his match or suffer the deadly consequences. After the Lights Go Out is a propulsive exploration of biracial identity, the price that athletes pay to entertain, and one man's battle to reconcile his past - even when he can't hold on to his present.