LEE COLE was born and grew up in rural Kentucky. He is the author of the novel Groundskeeping. A recent graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he now lives in Philadelphia.

"Ominous encounters, star-crossed lovers, rifts between red and blue America, flawless prose: Fulfillment expands on themes and technique laid down in Groundskeeping. . . . Is our nation too big to fail, or is it failing because we're too big, a vastness corralled into social networks? This is the urgent question Cole poses, his brilliant book more than a tale of a small-town adultery and its consequences. . . . Don't look now, but a colossal literary career is sneaking in under the radar." --The Washington Post

"Compulsively readable. . . . As well as illicit sex, the plot involves a drugs heist, crank calls and a loaded gun, adding a crackle of jeopardy to Cole's gift for fizzy dialogue and killer comic timing as he gently takes the temperature of modern America. Strongly recommended." --Daily Mail

"Cole has an astute ear for the verbal racket of modern life. . . . Fulfillment is engaging, thoughtful and bang up-to-date." --The Times (London)

"A riveting tale about hope and desire." --The Economist

"Cole mixes the angst and insecurity of class and poverty to craft a Molotov cocktail he lobs with exacting precision." --Booklist (starred review)

"An evocative tale of ambition, lust, and sibling rivalry in western Kentucky. . . . [Cole] writes gorgeously descriptive sentences." --Publishers Weekly

"Cole perfectly captures a particular kind of charming yet frustrating character: a slow-to-launch, aspiring Southern writer who makes ill-considered decisions that throw his life into disarray. Clearly, this is Cole's wheelhouse." --Kirkus

Publisher: Vintage

Pub date: 2026-06-23

Length: 336 pages