“NUCLEAR is a “picture of a shadow,” and the shadow is America–its dreams, its self-delusions, public and private. Sean Bernard shows he understands the story of America as well as anyone now writing. His prose is splendid, as clean as the desert wind. He is canny, wise, and heart-breaking: a major talent just beginning to be heard from.” —Tracy Daugherty, four-time winner of the Oregon Book Award and founder of the Masters of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing at Oregon State University. “Sean Bernard’s voice is that of a perceptive, funny friend, telling secrets about anxiety and love and the places where the two intersect.” —Scott O’Connor, author of Untouchable, winner of the 2011 Barnes & Noble Discover Award.