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.
"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."
