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.
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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 