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One month before his college graduation, Paul Rousseau is accidentally shot in the head by his roommate and best friend.
At some point in the course of Paul and Mark’s friendship, Mark acquired—legally and with required permits—five firearms. Those weapons lived with them in their college apartment. It was a non-issue for the two best friends. They were inseparable. They were twenty-two-year-old boys at the height of their college experience, unaware that everything was about to change forever.
The bullet ripped through two walls before it struck Paul’s skull. Mark had accidentally pulled the trigger while in the other room and—frightened for his own future—delayed getting treatment for Paul, who miraculously remained conscious the entire time. In vivid detail, Friendly Fire brings us into the world of both the shooting itself and its surgical counterpoint—the dark spaces of survival in the face of a traumatic brain injury and into the paranoid, isolating, dehumanizing maw of personal injury cases.
Friendly Fire is the story of a friendship—both its formation and its destruction. Through phenomenal writing and gripping detail, Paul reveals a compelling and inspirational story that speaks to much of contemporary American life.
Praise for Friendly Fire
“Unique and haunting… A mesmerizing and unforgettable meditation on a stranger-than-fiction tragedy.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A powerful, gut-wrenching tale of pain, suffering, and recovery.”—Kirkus Reviews
“‘The words are simple,’ writes Rousseau, ‘I got shot in the head by my best friend at school.’ But this story is anything but simple: a shattered life, broken friendship, long recovery and loss of self. Rousseau writes this vivid, startling memoir the only way he can: fractured. And in that structure there is so much beauty, so much bravery, and so much stubborn elegance—this is a gorgeous book that cuts to the bones of American life and a terrible injury.”—Amber Sparks, author of And I Do Not Forgive You
“One of the most riveting memoirs I’ve read in years, Friendly Fire unfolds with urgency and so much heart, and the magic lies in how effortlessly Paul Rousseau tells this wrenching story. This is a big-time debut from a big-time talent.”—James Tate Hill, author of Blind Man’s Bluff
“[Friendly Fire] is much more than a tragic example of gun negligence: it is a snapshot of a larger, nationwide kind of negligence implicating American masculinity and corporate irresponsibility.”—Noah Hale, The Rumpus
“This is memoir writing at its best. Thoughtful. Vulnerable. Palpable. Empathetic. Hopeful.”—Amy Barnes, SmokeLong Quarterly
“Wow. This is both harrowing and hopeful. A powerful read that balances terror and humor in the most unexpected ways. A must-read for anyone looking for a gripping, eye-opening discussion about gun violence, trauma, and resilience. I couldn’t put it down!”—2024 OWL Award Judges (Winner in Community-Wide Read category)
“This book is powerful, surprising, moving—and impossible to put down.”—Austin Ross, author of Gloria Patri
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Paul Rousseau 