“Stunning… a dark, glimmering jewel of a book. There were moments whenthe language was so lush and clear and haunting that I was caught up short.” Alison Smith

“Goolrick adeptly uses a slow, teasing way of revealing himself to the reader… The End of the World As We Know It is barbed and canny, with a sharp eye for the infliction of pain.” The New York Times Read Full New York Time Review 

“In this brutally painful remembrance of hard drinking, attempted suicide, and childhood trauma, first-time author Goolrick constructs a well-written, nonlinear narrative of his life… Goolrick’s memory of the details of his childhood is impressive, as is the deep sense of sorrow…the story evokes. A courageous and successful work.” People

“A moving, unflinchingly rendered story of how the past can haunt a life.” Publishers Weekly

“A devastating debut memoir about a Southern childhood…. The language is lush and poetic while never becoming purple. Goolrick is clearly a victim of his parents’ brutal abuse, but he has broken out of the categories of ‘victim’ and ‘survivor’ to become a powerful truth-teller.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)