Steven M. Rubin W’83 is the author of a new novel, The Unraveling of Michael Galler (SparkPress). He writes, “The book is a psychological family drama about a teenager transitioning from high school to college, and whose entanglement in an intense, complex new relationship exacerbates his obsession over his greatest fear: cancer.” It has received favorable reviews from other Penn alumni, including USA Today bestselling author Jacqueline Friedland C’99 L’00, Pulitzer Prize–nominee and journalist Vahe Gregorian C’83, and filmmaker Gavin O’Connor C’86.
“The Unraveling of Michael Galler is a thoughtful and emotionally charged exploration of how fear, love, and loss intertwine to shape a life. With sensitivity and insight, it examines the toll of illness, both physical and psychological, while tracing Michael’s complex relationships with his father, brother, and first love. The result is a poignant story about endurance, vulnerability, and the quiet unraveling that comes from trying too hard to hold everything together. Set against the contrasts of Boston’s suburbs, city streets, and college life, The Unraveling of Michael Galler is a gripping story of endurance, obsession, and the fragile line between control and collapse– a haunting reminder that the world we fight to protect exists not only around us, but within us.”
—Jacqueline Friedland, USA Today bestselling author of He Gets That From Me and Counting Backwards
“The Unraveling of Michael Galler lures you in as a poignant, even relatable, journey before it compels you into a suspenseful cautionary tale. Steven M. Rubin’s thought-provoking and visceral eloquence illuminates the adage that our thoughts become our words, words become our habits, and habits become our character—and ultimately our destiny.”
—Vahe Gregorian, Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist and sports columnist at The Kansas City Star
Family is at the heart of our emotional lives. Every family, like every fingerprint, has its own unique pattern, its own set of conflicts and values and bonds. The Unraveling of Michael Galler examines whether the bonds of family can be stronger than the forces that work to pull it apart. Steven M. Rubin has created a physical and emotional battleground in which the underlying tension could escalate at any moment until it eventually leads you to its inevitable cathartic conclusion.
—Gavin O’Connor, writer and director of Miracle, The Accountant, Warrior, and The Way Back
“In Michael’s mind, cancer ceases to be a medical diagnosis. It becomes any threat that forms unseen, any force that grows without permission, any bad thing waiting inside the body or the family or the future. This is the novel’s unsettling invention.”
—Award-winning podcaster and author Terry Shepherd
“This book is going to run in the top books for me for 2026. I don’t know if anybody can knock me out of my seat better than this book.”
—Teresa Bruck, Host of One Final Twist
“…explores timely themes of health anxiety and personal identity…”
—Boston Today
“…the perfect backdrop for timeless stories of life in New England.”
—Marblehead Weekly News
“…a poignant look at young adults transitioning from high school to college, grappling with health anxiety and the ways in which one’s environment influences personal identity.”
—BooksToReadOnline
Terry Shepherd, Substack
Steven M. Rubin – The Unraveling of Michael Galler
Steven M. Rubin 