by Ann Packer
First published 2025
Eliot and Claire have shared nearly forty years of marriage in their quiet Connecticut town. They raised two children together and navigated life's challenges side by side. For eight years since Claire's cancer diagnosis, Eliot has embraced his role as her caregiver. He finds meaning in the intimate care he provides, discovering layers of connection that go beyond their earlier years as husband and wife. Now Claire's condition has worsened. The time has come to prepare for her death and gather their family around them. Eliot settles into what he believes will be their final weeks together. Then Claire surprises him with a request he never saw coming. Her dying wish shakes everything he thought he knew about their marriage. As Eliot struggles with Claire's unexpected desire, he questions how deeply he truly knows the woman he has loved for decades. He must confront who he has been as a husband while facing the uncertainty of Claire's remaining days.
Genres: domestic-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-secrets, unexpected-desire
Setting: Connecticut
Period: 21st-century
256 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: terminal-illness