In the wake of the random murder of his once best friend, the poet Tom Corbin, freshman writing instructor Paul Bishop feels compelled to care for Tom’s terminally ill widow, Susan, because of the secret that he must keep from her: that Tom was about to leave her for another woman, Paul’s own long-ago ex, Rachel Lake. Paul’s secret catches him between Susan, who feels more for him than she can acknowledge, and Rachel, who is consumed with jealousy of Susan and passionate contempt – or is it just passion?—for Paul.
Coming in January 2026 from Hollywood Books International, the fiction imprint of Press Americana. Winner of the 2024 Prize Americana for Fiction.
Praise for A Moment’s Surrender:
A Moment’s Surrender is a rigorous examination of four people who learn the painfully high cost of trifling with love. John Burt’s emotionally rich and psychologically complex novel pulls the reader into a tangled web of relationships that slowly unravels in the aftermath of a senseless murder. With its vividly rendered settings and insightful intelligence, this splendidly written book casts a spell as its characters lurch toward redemption.
Stephen McCauley
(author of My Ex-Life and You Only Call When You’re in Trouble)
The mystery at the core of John Burt’s psychologically rich and emotionally satisfying debut is not only what killed famed poet Tom Corbin; it’s how Fate–in its ravenous appetite for trouble—has undone and will ultimately remake the man, women, and child in his immediate orbit. A Moment’s Surrender shimmers with intelligence and with astute insight into the many ways we all possess to destroy and save each other.
Christopher Castellani
(author of Leading Men)
Riveting and rich, this is a novel that takes on the complexities of love with deep compassion. It is a gorgeous exploration of grief, the connections that sustain and break us, and the surprising grace that can unfold as we die and as we heal. It makes you ponder human existence and the stories in our own lives that are not over. It is a book that is nothing short of a gift to its reader.
Marjan Kamali
(author of The Stationery Shop and The Lion Women of Tehran)
For anyone who’s “loved and been loved, and made a mess of it,” John Burt’s suspenseful, sharply observed debut novel captures the messy intense nature of love, rivalry, simmering secrets and fractured friendship. Paul Bishop, the former friend of a famous poet, grapples with old and new betrayals when his ex-friend and ex-lover both burst back into his stalled life. A sudden murder forces hesitant Paul into action as he wrangles his feelings for two very different women, all three characters gripped by a complicated love for the darkly charismatic poet. Burt offers a witty, entertaining portrait of literary academia while at the same time delving deeply into the tangled emotions of his vividly drawn characters. True readers will happily surrender to A Moment’s Surrender.
Elizabeth Searle
(author of The Drama Room and screenwriter of I’ll Show You Mine)
For an excerpt from the book (Chapter 7, “The Sparrow”), visit https://americanpopularculture.com/review_americana/fall_2024/burt.htm
For an interview by Leslie Kreiner Wilson with John Burt about A Moment’s Surrender visit https://americanpopularculture.com/review_americana/spring_2025/burt.htm
For information about the Prize Americana, visit https://americanpopularculture.com/prizeamericana.htm
To purchase other winners of the Prize Americana, visit https://americanpopularculture.com/press_americana.htm
For contact information, and to join the mailing list, visit https://johndaviesburt.com/about-2/
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