First published 2013
Martin sits alone, thinking about Gwen. His wife has left him, and now memories flood back without warning. He remembers their arguments and their laughter, the way she moved through their kitchen, how they met decades ago. Some recollections bring pain, others unexpected joy. The details shift and blur. Did she say that thing about the music, or was it about the job? He corrects himself, then loses the thread again. Dreams mix with actual events. He imagines conversations they will never have, trips they will never take. Martin holds onto these fragments because they are all he has left of their shared life. He sorts through decades of marriage, examining his failures and small victories, the children they raised, the mistakes he made. Each memory becomes a story he tells himself, a way to keep Gwen present even in her absence. Through this mental archaeology, Martin tries to understand what their life together meant and how he might continue without her.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
407 pages · Hardcover · Fantagraphics