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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Cabell County Public Library | 155.937092 KAT | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
What do we do when life ends? How do we honor the past while moving into an unimaginable, uncertain future? This tender, bracingly honest memoir explores how Jenny, a young widow, navigates the sudden loss of Tris, her beloved spouse of eighteen years.
With Tris gone, Jenny suddenly finds herself a single mom to a teen daughter and adult stepson. The newly splintered family finds ways to celebrate "milestone firsts" --including birthdays and other holidays that, without Tris, now feel hollow and bittersweet. Jenny finds herself drawn to new people, including other widows and psychic mediums, and becoming open to different kinds of connections based on sharing and spirituality. She also embarks on a halting quest for new romantic love. Initially, as she endures awkward first dates and unpleasant interactions with self-proclaimed "nice guys," she resists her new reality --but over time, she finds someone unexpectedly comforting, blending the pain of loss with the pleasure of closeness. For readers who have also lost a loved one, The Good Widow offers both a comforting guide to grief and a form of companionship; for everyone, it's a beautiful example of how even after death, love endures.
Reviews (1)
Booklist Review
In her candid, courageous memoir, Katz discusses the months following her husband's unexpected death. "May be having a heart attack. Called 911. Ambulance on the way" was the last communication Katz received from Tristram (Tris), her husband of 18 years. Tris, 12 years Katz's senior, died in the hospital before the author arrived. At age 45, Katz was forced to adapt to widowhood, "the new reality of a life I didn't choose." Following the initial sensation of numbness, Katz faced physical, emotional, and spiritual emptiness. But slowly, she began to evolve. She read books, visited mediums, and attended grief groups as well as a conference aptly named Camp Widow. Eventually, she began seeking romantic partners. Katz, an academic clinical psychologist, presents her thoughts as essays, letters, and carefully crafted questions, allowing readers to consider their own grief. Her raw vulnerability and lyrical prose are uniquely captivating. "He was a body, then just a shell," she writes of her husband's "non-existence." "And so was I." Katz's memoir sharing the universal human experience of grief will resonate, even with those yet to experience such devastating loss.
Table of Contents
| Preface | p. xi |
| Introduction (The Feminist Widow) | p. xv |
| Part I Contracting in Pain | |
| The End | p. 3 |
| The Saddest Thing | p. 14 |
| Dreams and Destruction | p. 18 |
| Bone Cold | p. 21 |
| Love Letter Number One | p. 23 |
| Shell | p. 24 |
| Emptiness/Spaciousness | p. 31 |
| Letter to Grief | p. 34 |
| Viability | p. 36 |
| Almost Normal | p. 38 |
| Reflecting on Pain | p. 41 |
| Part II Expanding in Love | |
| Valentine's Day | p. 45 |
| The Medium Place | p. 51 |
| The Medium | p. 58 |
| Love Letter Number Two | p. 65 |
| Camp Widow, Part One-Alone, Together | p. 67 |
| Camp Widow, Part Two-All the Feelings | p. 72 |
| Camp Widow, Part Three-The End | p. 78 |
| Birthday Letter | p. 81 |
| Mother's Day | p. 84 |
| DNA | p. 87 |
| Tend and Befriend | p. 91 |
| Reflecting on Love | p. 94 |
| Part III Halting Steps Forward | |
| Release | p. 97 |
| How to Date a Widow | p. 104 |
| Mr. Nice Guy | p. 107 |
| Love Letter Number Three | p. 120 |
| The First Second Date | p. 122 |
| Dessert | p. 125 |
| Green Light | p. 129 |
| A Full and Happy Life | p. 133 |
| Tenderness | p. 136 |
| Dualities | p. 140 |
| Reflecting on Hope | p. 142 |
| Conclusion-All You Need | p. 143 |
| Afterword | p. 146 |
| Acknowledgements | p. 147 |
| About the Author | p. 149 |
