Mike and Phil and All the World

What if you could change everything about one thing on the spot? What if what you thought was your life was really just someone's creation? This is not your typical love story.

In spite of his doubts, seventeen-year-old Mike believed that he was meant to be with Philomel, forever and always. After Mike loses Phil, he starts to have doubts about reality itself. When he discovers he can edit reality—at least as it relates to Phil—he is plunged head-first into an existential crisis unlike any other. Soon he is on a quest across multiple realities to understand his love for Phil, the true nature of their stories, and perhaps even the motives of their storyteller.*




*This novel is in fact an edited version of storyteller Barry Lyga's original and truest vision for this project, the aptly titled Unedited. Its hundreds of pages comprise more than "all the world;" they represent Barry's every draft, revision, and rabbit hole: a vast compendium that serves as an invaluable companion read and ingenious deep-dive into the writing process.