A Widow's Story by Joyce Carol Oates 415 pages

This, like Joan Didion's book (The Year of Magical Thinking) is a careful examination of the unexpected death of the famous writer's husband, Raymond Smith. Married for 48 years, the aftermath was devastating. She second guesses her choice of hospital, thinking a different hospital may have prevented his death by pneumonia. She was rarely apart from her husband and she finds herself unable to sleep, has thoughts of suicide and fears being alone. They had shared a career as well as a marriage. Together they began The Ontario Review. The writing is graceful and beautiful and so very full of sorrow. It certainly is not "light" reading. I almost felt that I, too had survived a death by the end of this book.