Everything You Came to See: A Novel

By Elizabeth Schulte Martin

People say it like a joke, but Henry Bell really did run away from home to join the circus. A talented new performer with a struggling circus, he's found a place for himself among the fire-eaters, tightrope walkers, and contortionists. But no matter how far the show travels, Henry's past is never far behindthe mother he lost, the violent father he fled, the brother he abandoned.

As Henry pushes himself to create bigger, better performances, his actions become a wrecking ball to the relationships around him. From his costar, to the former headlining giant of the circus, to the circus manager himself, no one is untouched. Left unchecked, Henry's blind ambition becomes the very thing that could saveor destroythe circus itself. Unless Henry can reckon with the family and past he's left behind, the spark which drives him to perform may burn out or igniteengulfing everyone and everything he loves.

A story of the passion that drives creativity, Everything You Came to See is an unforgettable debut, challenging our ideas of family—and what it takes to rebuild them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
• Release date: Jan 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781510724051

Elizabeth Schulte Martin

Elizabeth Schulte Martin holds an MFA from California State University in Fresno and attended the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. Her short fiction has appeared in the New England Review, Ninth Letter, Witness Magazine, Hot Metal Bridge, and has received a special mention in the Pushcart Anthology.