The Meaning of Fear
A Novel by Laura Hulthen Thomas
Release Date: March 24, 2026
About the Book
Amid the turmoil of the 2008 recession that threatens her career, behavioral researcher Lea Johnson is devoted to curing post-traumatic stress disorder—but when her husband, Jay, is brutally attacked during an attempted robbery, she discovers that expertise in fear doesn’t translate to healing the people you love most.
When Jay confronts a young trespasser near their home and the boy soon goes missing, Lea suspects her husband is hiding something. Torn between loyalty and truth, and drawn to the detective investigating the case, Lea faces a reckoning that forces her to confront her own buried trauma.
The Meaning of Fear is a deeply emotional exploration of fear, love, and the fragile possibility of redemption.
Pre-order THE MEANING OF FEAR
The Meaning of Fear Book Tour
March 24, 2026 – Chelsea, Michigan
Serendipity Books 7:00PM
with Brian Cox
March 31, 2026 – Ann Arbor, Michigan
Literati Bookstore 6:30PM
with Dorene O’Brien
April 13, 2026 – Brooklyn, New York
#YeahYouWrite Reading Series
Someday Bar 7:00PM
https://yeahyouwriteevents.com https://www.somedaybarnyc.com
April 20, 2026 – Dearborn, Michigan
Brain Candy Reading Series
Green Brain Comics 7:00PM
April 30, 2026 – Royal Oak, Michigan
Sidetrack Bookshop 6:30PM
with Megan A. Schikora
https://www.sidetrackbooks.com
May 7, 2026 – Detroit, Michigan
Next Chapter Books 7:00PM
with Dorene O’Brien and Laura Kasischke
https://www.nextchapterbkstore.com
May 14, 2026 – Grand Rapids, Michigan
Books & Mortar 6:30PM
with Caitlin Horrocks
Advance Praise for The Meaning of Fear
“Thomas’s skill in drawing memorable parallels between past and present events, places, and conflicts results in an intricate and satisfying story that drives forward with clarity and ingenuity. This book is literally novel; you will never read another one like it.”
— Dorene O’Brien, award-winning author of What It Might Feel Like to Hope
“When forests become farms and farms become housing developments, wildness and violence, we’re reminded, remain.”
— Susan Neville, award-winning author of The Town of Whispering Dolls
“What a bold, wise writer! I am in love with Laura Thomas’s luminous, empathetic worldview. I was utterly enthralled by The Meaning of Fear, a remarkable feat of characterization.”
— Kelly Fordon, award-winning author of I Have the Answer
About the Author
Laura Hulthen Thomas is an award-winning fiction writer and essayist, and heads the undergraduate creative writing program at the University of Michigan’s Residential College.
Her work has appeared in Witness, Epiphany, Summerset Review, failbetter, The /tƐmz/ Review, The Cimarron Review, and more.
Her debut story collection, States of Motion, was a Foreword Reviews Indie Award Finalist and named a Notable Debut by Poets & Writers.
Laura lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she continues to teach, write, and inspire new generations of storytellers.
Laura Hulthen Thomas 