- The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie
- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 2, 2009)
- ISBN-13: 978-0425227657
Back-of-the-book blurb: When Sarah McConnell’s husband of 17 years dies in a kayaking incident, she is left widowed and childless at the age of 39. But David’s body is never recovered, and after three months of seeing glimpses of her husband at the grocery store and her home, Sarah wonders whether she really is a widow. On Halloween night, David shows up at her front door and offers a plausible explanation for his absence, and Sarah is, understandably, relieved yet also distraught—since she’s the only person who has seen him, is he real? Or is she going crazy? Brodie expertly walks the line between reality and fantasy, life and death, heartache and love, leaving readers hoping for the best and prepared for the worst—without ever really knowing the truth …..
She is Too Fond of Books’ review: The Widow’s Season really had me going. I ran through so many emotions while reading it – sorrow for the widow’s grief, sadness at the truth of her marriage, anger at both David and Sarah in various points, frustration at the author for drawing me in to a story I couldn’t figure out (I have control issues!), irritation at myself for not being able to say for certain what was going on. In short, this is a powerful debut.
Sarah is haunted by David, but also by the children they never had, and the omnipresent fantasy of what might have been. She begins to question why she has chosen the path she has, was her advanced education a substitute for children? Had she been so busy being a student for so many years that she continued to look for validation from the outside world, instead of from within?
As a child, she had measured life according to her latest report card, viewing those slim pieces of paper as a social contract, each A a promissory note for a season of happiness. She had been such a diligent student, ever willing to follow the path laid out by the public schools, grateful to be given a path at all, naively assuming that the world was obliged to reward so many years of obedient effort. It was only in high school that she had begun to grasp the truth, that there was no guarantee of happiness at the end of her slow march, and that graduation was a precipice from which most of her classmates would drop like lemmings into the labor market. But she was off to college and eventually graduate school, deferring reality with degree after degree, each one a higher precipice from which to fall.
Brodie offers Sarah as a contrast to the typical young grieving widow. Sarah questions whether her grief is perhaps not deep enough; does it show? Will other widows at a local support group be able to see inside her heart and find that her sorrow is not as keening as they would expect? Sarah feels a little surprised when she looks through a photo album and realizes how her smile has dulled and become less frequent over the years, that “age … does not appear first in wrinkles or gray hair, but in the dulling of one’s smile.”
Sarah, through conversations with David, explores their marriage and evaluates what went wrong and what went right. She looks at the the sacrifices they’ve each made, and wonders what may have happened if they had made different choices along the way. Perhaps David’s disappearance is a way for them both to realize dreams that have remained largely unspoken.
The Widow’s Season looks at loss, grief, coping, repression, relationships (marital, sexual, peer, mentor), honesty, and communication … there’s a lot going on. The writing style leaves a lot of intentional ambiguity, which encourages the reader to explore his/her own reactions to the plot at various stages.
Because of the many themes, this is an excellent choice for a (women’s) book group. The story begins in the fall, 3 months after David’s disappearance; real or imagined, Sarah is haunted by David – it might be an especially good pick for this season of haunting.
About the author: Laura Brodie, a graduate of Harvard, is visiting professor of English at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. The Widow’s Season was winner of the 2005 Faulkner Society / Evans Harrington Grant for Best Novel in Progress, and is Brodie’s second published novel, following Breaking Out: VMI and the Coming of Women.
I received this from Brodie this summer, and have yet to read it. I’ve read nothing but good, though, and hope to get to it for RIP. Excellent review!
Sounds fascinating! I’ll have to add it to my TBR pile. Thanks for the review!
I really enjoyed this one as well. I totally agree with your review — great one by the way! This would make an excellent discussion book!
Hmmm. This sounds good! Thanks for the great review.
I keep going back and forth about this book–I think I may have to read it. Sounds engrossing.
Sounds very depressing! Especially the line “age … does not appear first in wrinkles or gray hair, but in the dulling of one’s smile.” I’m sagging in my seat just reading your review! But I want to know what really happened. Do you have a Secret Spoiler Email Service or something?!!!
Theis is the second review I’ve seen for this book and I keep getting more interested in it. Great review.
Sandy – a great choice for RIP; you’ll want to talk to someone about it when you’re done reading.
Amy – I’ve never read anything like it.
Julie – Yes, I feel I *need* to discuss it with someone.
Gayle – an emotionally exhausting read … (that’s a compliment!)
Stephanie – Engrossing, yes; I kept reading to see if issues would be resolved
rhapsody – don’t sag, just smile! I marked that passage because I find it true about myself; I know I wear motherhood like a weight sometimes … isn’t that a terrible observation?! Then, I read the passage again in the discussion questions at the back of the book – I’m taking it as a sign to not let my smile (or lack of) give away my age.
Ryan – I’d love to hear a man’s perspective on it. Let me know if you do read THE WIDOW’S SEASON.
Oh Sandy’s comment gave me the push I needed. I can read this for RIP. I don’t know why I haven’t gotten to it sooner.
Ummmm that’s not to say your review didn’t also influence me! If your review hadn’t left me open-minded and looking forward to the book, Sandy’s comment wouldn’t have struck me so hard….
Wow, this sounds like an emotional book! I’m really looking forward to reading it.
I still can’t get past the “is he a ghost or isn’t he” part of the story. Loved the writing and idea, but I did not deal well with the ghost questions.
I have this one, now I just need to find the time to read it! Great review.
This sounds like a stunning read. I think I am going to put this book at the top of my wish list and try to get to it shortly. It sounds like I would find this book extremely interesting.
Now I can’t wait to read this one! Good thing it’s in my pile.
There is a typical young grieving widow?
The ghost aspect sounds intriguing.
Beth F – haha! no need for a postscript, I knew what you meant!
annie – Touché! And shame on me for trying to generalize!
The ghost aspect *was* intriguing, especially when I went along for the ride and couldn’t decide if Sarah was processing her emotions, losing her mind, or being scammed by her husband. I was on an emotional rollercoaster, not simply because of what was happening in the plot, but because of the way my mind kept begin jostled.
Thanks for catching me on my labeling of “typical.”
I’ve seen this book a few places and it looks really intriguing. Thanks for the review!
I read this one and loved it! It was really mysterious and had a lot of depth.
I’m putting this on my list for extremely personal reasons … my dad died recently in a mountaineering accident and I’ve been talking to my mom and how hard it is to believe that he is really gone because we didn’t get to see his body and we weren’t there. It is very easy to fool yourself into believing that perhaps he isn’t gone at all. I imagine that many of these emotions might be of interest to both of us … but I’m sure she isn’t ready for this yet ( and I may not be either). I think it is a book I’ll look for and hold onto after a bit of time has passed.
I have control issues too and books like this tend to drive me crazy lol.
I’m so glad you liked this one too! I thought this book was great.
I find the concept of this book to be extremely interesting. It sounds like it covers a lot of really interesting topics and I like that. The fact that it isn’t just a ghost story or a story about women or a story about relationships – it’s a story about all of them because they are all a part of life.
Heather – THE WIDOW’S SEASON is crafted very clerverly.
Kay – yes, mysterious is just the tip of the iceberg! I’ll go back and re-read your review (I tend to avoid them if I have a book on my TBR)
Jenners – what a difficult time for you and your family. You might find extra meaning in this (eventually), but, yes, I can see that it would still be too difficult to read now.
Ladytink – I definitely felt like a cat being teased with a tangled ball of yarn! I was frustrated by that emotional tug-of-war, but satisfied when I saw the big picture.
S.Krishna – So many of the passages struck me; beautiful writing.
Jennifer – yes, it’s more ‘mature’ than a lot of ghost stories; there’s a lot going on.
[...] Widow’s Season by Laura BrodieWho To Blame: This review by She Is Too Fond of BooksBook Description: A mesmerizing debut novel about love, grief, and the [...]