We Are All of Us Left Behind

(The contemporary coming-of-age story)

“My name is Molly. I’m fourteen years old. I’m glad to meet you. Only one of these things is true, which is okay.”

A bit about the book:

Orphaned and stuck in a one-traffic-light prairie oil town, a young man yearns for a family to belong to and sets out to find his last known living relative, his estranged grandfather, somewhere in Serbia.

Armed with nothing but his wit and resourcefulness, he starts his trek, from his hometown on the Canadian plains, across continents and countries, in search of acceptance and family, which he finds, but in the most unexpected people.

We Are All of Us Left Behind is a coming-of-age story about the powers of truth and lies, of what a family really is, and the persistence of hope when there’s nothing else left.

In addition to your local vendor, here are a few links to order We Are All of Us Left Behind:

Canada: From Freehand Books, From Chapters/Indigo, From Amazon

USA: From Indiebound, From Barnes & Noble, From Amazon

UK: From Amazon

Some reviews and buzz:

“We Are All of Us Left Behind hooked me on its first line with its first lie. In sparse and propulsive prose, Bradley Somer perfectly captures the lonely desire for love and security in a mean, chaotic world made bearable through hard won moments of aching beauty and human connection. We Are All of Us Left Behind got me right in the heart.” — Angie Abdou best selling author of In Case I Go and The Bone Cage.

“The adolescent narrator of Bradley Somer’s We Are All of Us Left Behind lives a desperate, hardscrabble life on society’s margins. Without family or friends, he embarks on a search for a grandfather he has never met, which takes him from a dusty prairie town to Belgrade via Amsterdam and Rome, a journey filled with curious encounters and interesting characters. In spare, lean, poetic prose, Bradley Somer relates a compelling, deeply thoughtful story about a young man’s urgent need to live E.M. Forster’s famous dictum, “Only connect!” It is a novel of the moment, a reminder that compassion is a necessity. It will stick in my mind for a long time.” — Guy Vanderhaeghe, three time Governor General’s Award winning author of The Englishman’s Boy, The Last Crossing, and A Good Man.

“The quiet beauty of Somer’s writing shifts a story of longing and despair into a vital meditation on hope and human connection. We Are All of Us Left Behind is a propulsive work of staggering ingenuity by an unsung hero of modern Canadian literature.” — Ali Bryan author of The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships.

“With… two lies and a truth sprinkled throughout, this novel explores profound loneliness, the need for belonging and family, and the persistence of hope.” Prairie Books NOW (87, Fall/Winter 2025)

“This captivating coming-of-age story offers a masterclass of rhythm and pacing. It took every ounce of my discipline to not glance ahead a few pages to see where this novel would take me next. Bradley Somer has a gift of making everything he writes about feel so palpable. His descriptions of the heat, the cold, the loneliness, the human connections, the yearning for connection, the awkwardness of things said and left unsaid make this book a wonderful read.” — Ali Hassan, actor, comedian, host of CBC’s Canada Reads.

“We Are All of Us Left Behind is a keenly observed and deeply compassionate novel about resilience and the innate human desire for connection. Somer takes us on a raw, heartfelt, and epic trek, from the unforgiving Canadian prairies to the simmering streets of Rome to the idyllic Serbian countryside, as we follow a young man’s struggle to rise above his circumstances and find his place in the world. A brave, honest, and uncompromising book. I was riveted from the first page. We Are All of Us Left Behind is an unforgettable journey.” — Théodora Armstrong, author of Clear Skies, No Wind, 100% Visibility.

“Somer’s latest novel is a frenzied and ravaging descent into the underworld, an autopsied travelogue of canyons and neon lights and lacerated bodies, the deep wounds and flayed silhouettes of wayward experience. It’s like being startled into some transgressive cathedral by Chuck Palahniuk, and, finding oneself staring at a ceiling fresco in the style of vagabonds and miscreants (think Jean Genet), of being overcome with the notion that one is falling upwards, toward revelation.” — Nicholas Herring, author of Some Hellish, winner of the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize.

“We Are All of Us Left Behind is a gritty, intimate portrait of a young man’s hard life made softer by the kindness of strangers. I was deeply moved by the delicate intensity of Somer’s prose — and by the hope, ultimately, that he finds in humanity.” — Emily Saso author of Nine Dash Line and The Weather Inside.

“Two lies and one keen truth are the forward engine of Bradley Somer’s We Are All of Us Left Behind. From a small prairie town, an abandoned young male traverses oceans and countries to arrive at his destination in Belgrade. Risky, rough and tender, this gripping novel bridges friends and lies, people and hope, the essential truth in leaving past lives behind.” — Lee Kvern, author of Catch You on the Flip Side.

“… a thoroughly engrossing journey that carries readers through many questions about choice, connection, and survival.” — D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review.

“We Are All Of Us Left Behind… begins as a sort of prairie picaresque and opens up into a poignant, transcontinental pilgrimage in search of connection and grace. The prose is spare, each word charged. I was reminded of Gregg Araki’s 2004 film Mysterious Skin, which pairs scenes of grit and intimate brutality with quiet tenderness… Brad’s masterful handling of his protagonist’s interiority gives special weight to the unsaid. His narrative unspools in loops, which ensnare the reader and keep them reading. Highly recommended Canadian fiction from a novelist at the top of his game!” – Ben Zalkind, author of Honeydew.

… And more stuff:

Alllitup.ca – Under the Cover. A personal essay about the book – HERE.

Book of the Month – Shelf Life Books, October 2025