In Fragments of a Decent Man, Christopher Parent delivers 18 sharply observed, darkly funny, and emotionally resonant essays about trying—and often failing—to be a good man in a world that rarely rewards vulnerability. With deep dives into the absurdities of ordinary life—parenting, marriage, ambition, failure—this collection peers into the quiet corners of manhood where decency lives and struggles to survive.

Parent explores the loss of his father, the impact of being fired from a job, the sadness of seeing his daughter rejected from college, the complications of marriage, and lessons from running a Marathon and visiting a Belgian Trappist monastery. It’s one author’s take on how accepting life’s overtures, which can be offered under the guise of roadblocks and challenges, shaped the portrait of a man who met decent people along the way.

The essays move through fatherhood, friendship, shame, grief, anger, softness, and survival with a voice that is open-hearted, self-aware, and frequently dry-witted. With moments of nostalgia and grit that echo The Tender Bar, it carries a consistent thread throughout: how do we live as whole men—vulnerable, conflicted, decent—without apology or disguise?

Though deeply personal, the essays aim at something universal. These are stories about becoming a father while struggling to understand the relationship Parent had with his own, about regret, repair, and the long arc of trying to do better.