In 2006, Michael Thomas published his debut novel Man Gone Down, which won critical acclaim and the €100,000 Dublin literary award in 2009. He expected to produce a follow-up within a year, but a severe mental breakdown delayed it for two decades. His new memoir, The Broken King, chronicles his struggles with mania, depression, neurodivergence, and trauma.
The Perfect Storm of Conditions
Thomas describes his life as a 'perfect storm of conditions': poverty, parental abandonment, racism, alcoholism, sexual violence, self-sabotage, and mental illness. The memoir is deeply personal yet expansive, touching on TS Eliot, James Baldwin, Brazilian football, and the Rolling Stones. Reviews have been glowing, with Thomas Chatterton Williams writing in the New York Times: 'Thomas has rendered beautifully an excruciating existence from which it is impossible to turn away.'
Breakdown After Success
Thomas did not enjoy his literary success. Receiving the Dublin award did not make him feel like a great author; instead, he felt relief at being able to pay off debts: 'We were two months behind on our mortgage.' He also could not feel the acclaim: 'When I started getting critical acclaim and showing up on the cover of things, I couldn't feel it. And I kept trying to tell people that I couldn't feel it, and they thought it was being smug or humble. I was really in a year-long descent.'
In late 2007, less than a year after Man Gone Down was published, Thomas planned his next book—a proposal about mental illness in his father and brother. But he had a 'really crippling break' while promoting the book. He became 'short-cycling manic depressive,' experiencing multiple mood states within days. The breakdown culminated in Kansas City, where he saw 'dragons and demons' and was hospitalized after a psychotic episode at the airport.
Neurodivergence and Trauma
Thomas was diagnosed with level 1 autism in adulthood, which he describes as a 'non-specific cognitive disorder.' His son Miles received a similar diagnosis. Thomas says the memoir is 'autistic' in its structure: 'It's really just a study of someone with level-one autism trying to tell a story.' He also discloses that he was raped at age seven, an event that warped his life, leading to self-harm, alcoholism, depression, and difficulty with intimacy.
Racism also played a significant role. His great-grandfather was born enslaved in Virginia. Thomas grew up in public housing with a single mother who believed education was the great equalizer. He struggled to fit in socially and racially: 'I was called an Oreo, or a “honky nigger” or “not really Black.”'
Finding Stability
Thomas has since found some stability. He divorced in 2014, his mother died of Covid in 2020, and he now has an eight-year-old son with a new partner. Reflecting on his journey, he says: 'I'm starting to accept myself. I don't have the anger I used to have. I don't have the fear I used to have—at least in this moment.'
The Broken King is published by Summit (£16.99).
