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The Widower's Notebook cover art

The Widower's Notebook

Written by: Jonathan Santlofer
Narrated by: Jonathan Santlofer
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Publisher's Summary

Written with unexpected humor and great warmth, The Widower's Notebook is a portrait of a marriage, an account of the complexities of finding oneself single again after losing your spouse, and a story of the enduring power of familial love.

"This is deeply moving...beautifully written and modulated, with a dollop of droll, black humor. It is such an achievement, like running uphill against a strong wind." (Joyce Carol Oates)

On a summer day in New York, Jonathan Santlofer discovers his wife, Joy, gasping for breath on their living room couch. After a frenzied 911 call, an ambulance races across Manhattan, and after hours pacing in a hospital waiting room, a doctor finally delivers the fateful news. Consumed by grief, Jonathan desperately tries to pursue life as he always had - writing, social engagements, and working on his art - but finds it nearly impossible to admit his deep feelings of loss to anyone, not even his to beloved daughter, Doria, or to himself.

As Jonathan grieves and heals, he tries to unravel what happened to Joy, a journey that will take him nearly two years.

Includes a Bonus PDF of author drawings.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Jonathan Santlofer (P)2018 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"Wrenching, heartbreaking, intense and emotional - but valuable, too: we're all approaching the age where this will happen to us - or to others because of us - and understanding that it can be dealt with is consoling. I don't know how Santlofer found the fortitude to write this, but I'm deeply grateful he did. I think the world is a better place with this book in it." (Lee Child, number-one New York Times best-selling author)

The Widower’s Notebook, Jonathan Santlofer’s searingly truthful chronicle of mortality, is, among its wonders, a book about the preciousness of life and love, rendered all the more heart-wrenching, and all the more vital, by a loss almost beyond imagining. It’s a true tragic beauty.” (Michael Cunningham, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Hours)

The Widower’s Notebook is a searing rendition of the complex relationship between men and grief - an intense despair that is too often starved for words. This chronicle of devastation is itself devastating, a deeply powerful and unflinchingly honest report of how painfully and strangely life continues in the wake of a sudden, tragic death.” (Andrew Solomon, National Book Award winner)

What listeners say about The Widower's Notebook

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Scary Accurate

as a widower, this book is accurate as to the thoughts and mind set of a widower.

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