The Innkeeper at the End of the World: A Novel (2025)
$6.99 – $16.99
In the early hours of the morning, there is a hit-and-run that kills a little boy. The drunk driver, Peter, is a washed-up rockabilly guitarist. The boy’s mother, Zooey, owns the bar where Peter had been drinking. Peter ends up comforting the boy’s mother, never revealing his secret, and eventually the two fall in love. But a police detective is closing in on Peter. Will Zooey learn the truth?
Michael-Patrick Harrington, the author of Everything’s Ephemeral and Get Out, You Ghosts, presents a novel about cults, blind love, and the dangers of fate.
Full description at the bottom of the book page.
Paperback is signed by the author and includes a special bookmark.
Kindle edition also available.
Published by Silk Raven Press. 615 pages.
Description
In the early hours of the morning, there is a hit-and-run that kills a little boy. The drunk driver, Peter, is a washed-up rockabilly guitarist. The boy’s mother, Zooey, owns the bar where Peter had been drinking. While intoxicated, Peter goes to Zooey’s house to confess. The two have a shared past: as children they both attended a “genius school” run by a cult, the Remnant Church.
Peter ends up comforting the boy’s mother, never revealing his secret, and eventually the two fall in love. However, a police detective is closing in on Peter. Will Zooey learn the truth, whether she wants to or not? Will Peter try to make a run for it? The Innkeeper at the End of the World is both an existential love story and a tale of fate gone awry.
Cindy Russell –
I came across The Innkeeper at the End of the World and was immediately struck by its quiet powerhow it takes a devastating premise and transforms it into something deeply human and emotionally layered. The dynamic between Peter and Zooey, especially with their shared past in the Remnant Church, adds a level of psychological depth that’s rare and haunting.
There’s something incredibly compelling about a story where love grows in the shadow of guilt and fate. That blurred line between confession and concealment, connection and consequence gives the novel its tension and resonance. I’m especially curious about the narrative decision to let Peter’s secret linger in the open air. Do you see the novel as more of a love story or a meditation on redemption?
Carol S. Lovins –
The layered narrative, philosophical undertones, and emotional complexity between Peter and Zooey offer a haunting yet compelling exploration of grief, guilt, love, and fate. It’s the kind of story that lingers long after the final page.
Carol S. Lovins –
The Innkeeper at the End of the World has genuinely stayed with me. There’s something rare about the emotional tone and layered storytelling that I think more readers would truly connect with if given the chance. Your story has that “quiet gravity” that can stop a reader mid-scroll, mid-thought. The emotional tension is just humming under the surface
Justin Jackson –
You took existential dread, repressed trauma, moral collapse, and that weird nostalgia ache we all pretend not to have and somehow made it into a love story. Clearly, you’re not here to write fluff. You’re here to wreck us and sip tea while doing it. The book reads like a blend of John Irving and Joyce Carol Oates set to a sad Tom Waits soundtrack.
David1212 –
I was truly impressed by your talent and the quality of your work. Your writing stands out as exceptional.
Jordan Michael –
Your journey as an author is remarkable. From Deep Autumn through to The Innkeeper at the End of the World, your catalog shows both persistence and range each book finding its own distinct rhythm. I was especially struck by the way you balance wit and depth, weaving personal history and literary influence into your storytelling. It’s clear your voice carries both playfulness and gravity, which deserves a wider stage.
Oladeji Blessing –
The Innkeeper at the End of the World doesn’t just tell a story, it pulls us into a reckoning of love, guilt, and fate. From the haunting moment of the hit-and-run that takes a child’s life to Peter’s drunken confession at Zooey’s doorstep, it feels less like fiction and more like a mirror of how broken people stumble into moments of devastating truth.
What gripped me most is how you made this novel larger than tragedy. Yes, there’s a washed-up rockabilly guitarist, a grieving mother, and a relentless detective, but at its core this is a story about how love emerges from the wreckage, how secrets weigh down the soul, and how fate always demands its price. Zooey and Peter aren’t just characters; they’re survivors of a childhood cult and casualties of choices that blur the line between redemption and ruin.
And that’s what makes The Innkeeper at the End of the World resonate beyond the literary fiction genre. It isn’t just an existential love story. It’s a reminder that even when life collapses, love and forgiveness remain the last battlegrounds worth fighting for.
This is not just a novel. It’s a reckoning…
Lauren of Book World CLub –
Your novel, THE INNKEEPER AT THE END OF THE WORLD , immediately stood out to me as original, immersive, and exactly the kind of story that resonates with our readers. I believe it has the potential to inspire thoughtful dialogue and genuine excitement within our community.
Kathie Cronk –
The two main characters of this book live in the same town and have a shared past as kids. One is a single mom who believes she is doing her best to raise her son but knows she actually sucks at it. The other is an alcoholic musician with no direction who was so drunk one night its days before he realizes he was the hit and run driver who killed her son. He goes to confess to her but for reasons I don’t think he even knew, he doesn’t tell her. Instead a relationship begins and soon they both feel they found the person who finally understands them. All the while, it’s becoming clearer to her that he was guilty of this unimaginable accident. Yet she struggles with the decision of turning him in or keeping the love she felt she deserved. Throughout the book, the author takes us back to their childhood experiences, perhaps to help us understand how they became who they are. This was such a great read! It was unlike any other crime novel I’ve ever read. We think we know what we would do in their shoes, but do we really? Get this book, you will not be disappointed.
Oladeji Blessing –
I’m so glad to see that The Innkeeper at the End of the World has caught my attention again, it’s one of those rare books that truly deserves to be in the hands of the right readers.
Wendie J. Seay –
Your body of work is nothing short of remarkable. From Deep Autumn to The Innkeeper at the End of the World, you’ve built a career filled with insight, imagination, and a fearless exploration of human complexity. It’s clear that your passion for storytelling and your commitment to the craft have shaped a unique voice that resonates deeply with readers.
Reading The Innkeeper at the End of the World is an unforgettable experience. The way you intertwine fate, guilt, and redemption through Peter and Zooey’s journey is both haunting and tender. I found myself drawn into the story, captivated by the layers of mystery and the unexpected connections of the past and present. Your ability to balance existential themes with raw, intimate human emotion makes this novel truly stand out. It’s the kind of book that stays with a reader long after the last page is turned.
Christine Cauley –
Congratulations on The Innkeeper at the End of the World! The story’s darkly compelling premise, an accidental tragedy entwined with a shared, mysterious past at a cult-run genius school, immediately hooks readers. The characters’ intertwined fates, moral dilemmas, and the tension between love and secrecy create a narrative that is both existential and emotionally gripping.
Peter’s struggle with guilt, Zooey’s path to understanding, and the ever-looming detective add layers of suspense that make the book impossible to put down. The fusion of existential themes with a deeply human love story ensures this novel will resonate with fans of suspenseful, thought-provoking fiction.