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When Achilles Conroy and his brother Troy return from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, their white mother presents them with the key to their past: envelopes containing details about their respective birth parents. After Troy disappears, Achilles-always his brother's keeper-embarks on a harrowing journey in search of Troy, an experience that will change him forever. Heartbreaking, intimate, and at times disturbing, Hold It 'Til It Hurts is a modern-day odyssey through war, adventure, disaster, and love, and explores how people who do not define themselves by race make sense of a world that does.
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Reviews
"Transcendent contemporary American literary fiction, a rich and passionate story rewarding enough to be read again."
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"As does Gabriel Garcia Marquez or Toni Morrison, [Johnson] connects characters through the spirit and the body."
American Book Review
"A powerful, stylish debut novel. . . . The stark backstory fleshing out Achilles and Troy's arduous combat duty over in 'Goddamnistan' smartly plays off the thorough exploration of modern American attitudes on race, war, and family."
Publishers Weekly