The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards by Jessica Waite Published by Atria Books on July 30, 2024
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction
Pages: 320
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
Buy on Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Bookshop.org
A widow’s life is turned upside when she uncovers the truth about her late husband in this lyrical, witty, and deeply moving memoir of tragedy and betrayal.
In the midst of mourning her husband’s sudden death, writer Jessica Waite discovered shocking secrets that undermined everything she thought she knew about the man she’d loved and trusted. From uncovered affairs to drug use and a pornography addiction, Waite was overwhelmed reconciling this devastating information with her new reality as a widowed single mom. Then, to further complicate matters, strange, inexplicable coincidences forced her to consider whether her husband was reaching back from beyond the grave.
With her signature candor and unflinching honesty, Waite details her tumultuous love story and the pain of adjusting to the new normal she built for herself and her son. A riveting, difficult, and surprisingly beautiful story, The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards is also a lyrical exploration of grief, mental health, single parenthood, and betrayal that demonstrates that the most moving love stories aren’t perfect—they’re flawed and poignantly real.
My Thoughts
In the Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards, Jessica Waite portrays how she deals with her late husband’s secrets and his passing. In telling her story in its raw, unflinching form, Waite delves into not only the grief and betrayal but also the difficulties of raising a child on your own. This lyrical and touching memoir has compelling appropriation of love, loss, and human spirit perseverance. I enjoyed this immensely, and I highly recommend it!
Thank you to Atria Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
About Jessica Waite
Jessica Waite is a memoirist, essayist, and single mom to a teenage drummer. She mentors incarcerated writers through the Hero’s Journey and leads grieving people to heal through story. Jessica is the recipient of the Jon Whyte Memorial essay award and her work has been anthologized in the US, UK and Canada. She lives, works and plays on Treaty 7 traditional territory, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, in the city of Calgary, Alberta.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
