A Poignant Coming-of-Age Novel About Family, Grief, and Redemption

Seventeen-year-old Morgan Browdy’s world implodes in eight seconds. One tragic accident. One younger brother gone. Guilt grips tight, and what’s left of his family vanishes—his mother disappears, his father crawls inside the bottle, and Morgan’s left to pick up the broken pieces. With nowhere else to go, he ends up on the doorstep of his estranged grandfather’s farmhouse—an unforgiving place thick with wounds and silence.

Set in small-town America, While We’re Here is a raw, emotionally charged coming-of-age story about loss, forgiveness, and the messy, brutal beauty of family. As Morgan navigates grief and second chances, he learns that healing rarely looks the way you want—and that sometimes, showing up is the bravest thing you can do. Fans of heartfelt coming-of-age fiction, literary family dramas, and inspiring sports novels will find themselves captivated by Manchester’s powerful debut.