Andrew Porter

<p>With a foreword by Richie Sadlier<br><br>From the heartbreak of losing his mother to breast cancer at just 12 years old, to battling mental health struggles throughout his teens, Andrew Porter's journey is one of extraordinary resilience. In this deeply personal and inspiring account, the Irish rugby star opens up about the challenges that shaped him - on and off the pitch.<br><br>With honesty and heart, Andrew shares how rugby became his lifeline, guiding him from the gym floor to the world stage. He reflects on the emotional highs and lows of his career, including earning 75 caps for Ireland, winning three Six Nations titles and becoming one of the sport's most respected figures. This is more than a story of athletic triumph - it's a testament to the power of perseverance, vulnerability, and the human spirit.</p>

A taut, elegiac, and engrossing read, The Imagined Life follows Steven Mills, a man in a struggling marriage who becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about the father who vanished from his life when he was only twelve.Driving up the coast of California, Steven seeks out his father’s friends, family, and former colleagues, and is transported back to his 1980s childhood: his parents’ legendary pool parties, black-and-white films on the backyard projector, his father’s male friends in the cabana house… With every revelation his father becomes more difficult to recognise, and, with every insight, Steven must confront truths about his own life.In cinematic prose, Andrew Porter explores the full nexus of male relationships: fathers and sons, husbands and lovers—set achingly against the US AIDS epidemic and the homophobia of the 1980s—and masterfully weaves a tale of trauma, generational secrets, forbidden love, and shame.