Receiving the Dublin literary award did not make him think, “I am a great author,” he tells me via video call. And then I had a break, a really crippling break.” As with the rest of the book, Thomas catalogues these events and experiences in uncanny, almost photographic detail, but the narrative also pans out across his memories and anxieties, and his vast cultural hinterland. “This might sound cheesy: I don’t know if I’m OK with myself, but I think I’m starting to accept myself. I think I’m a little more reflective and less impulsive.