Ben Markcoitz's The Rest of Our Lives, which was published first published in March 2025, tells the story of a man named Tom Layward, whose wife cheated on him years prior to the events of the novel. After her affair, Tom vowed to divorce his wife when her daughter turned eighteen. Markovitz's novel picks up when Tom is taking his eighteen-year-old daughter to college, forcing him to remember the vow he made to himself. He goes on a contemplative journey, driving farther west than his daughter's college by himself and forcing him to consider if he wants to spend the rest of his life with his wife.
Prior to the publication of The Rest of Our Lives, none of Markovitz's previous eleven novels earned him widespread critical praise or financial success. The Rest of Our Lives changed that, as it was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize. Critics were just as kind to the novel. Marcel Theroux, for instance, praised the novel in their review for The Guardian, calling it "quietly brilliant" and citing its "brilliant and unflashy naturalism" as two positive aspects.
