The Disappointment

Named a Best Book of the Month by Bustle & Kirkus Reviews
Named a Most Anticipated Book by the Los Angeles Times, The Orange County Register, & LGBTQ Reads

“At times very funny and at others very perceptive.” —Gideon Leek, Los Angeles Review of Books

“This one is sexy in that emotionally dangerous way—where you can feel the characters reaching for connection and missing by inches, over and over.” —Victoria Wood, BiblioLifesty

“Broker allows raw emotions to flow out of his two main characters, Randy and Jack, with grace . . . This is a masterclass in human dynamics. All I ever want in a novel is to feel brought into the lives of the characters I am reading about, and this novel is fully lived-in.” —Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful

“A beautiful portrait of a long-term relationship and the hazards that come from assuming that understanding improves over time . . . A masterful understanding of human nature distinguishes this sexy debut.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Broker’s sensitive portrayal of a couple growing apart and finding their way back to each other will resonate with fans of Bryan Washington’s Memorial.” —Booklist

“[An] offbeat and emotive debut . . . Broker packs a wallop in his depiction of Jack’s hamfisted attempts to fix things, and he threads clever dialogue throughout . . . Readers will expect good things from Broker to come.” —Publishers Weekly

“A deeply-felt study of the powerful undertow of art making and life making, and how they both affirm and undo the sense of who we are, what we are worth, and who is afforded redemption. Compassionate, finely-tuned, and dexterous, Broker’s sentences feel wrought from decades of hard earned love and labor. An unforgettable achievement.” —Ocean Vuong

“The Disappointment is a startlingly acute portrayal of the joys and heartbreak of loving someone over time. I can’t remember when I’ve read a debut novel stitched with such humane insight. The Disappointment‘s fraying couple is so vulnerable, smart, funny, and real, I never wanted to leave their company. Scott Broker is a writer to watch.” —Marie-Helene Bertino, author of Beautyland

“The Disappointment is about the cost of making art, and how the unknowability of those closest to us can erode our own sense of self. Genuinely haunting and genuinely moving, it has some of the most strangely arresting moments in a novel I’ve read in years. Broker writes as if he’s been waiting to tell this story, and the results are remarkable.” —Gabe Habash, author of Stephen Florida

“Emotionally complex and satisfyingly forthcoming, The Disappointment tells an intricate story of grief, desire, disconnection, and love. A novel about what it means to fall away for a while—from oneself or another—but not apart.” —Amina Cain, author of Indelicacy and A Horse at Night