AN OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK
"Extraordinary. Books like this are why I love reading. This novel about marriage and friendship and life and dying is a marvel." —Elin Hilderbrand
“Profound and moving and real.”—Andrew Sean Greer
“Some Bright Nowhere is a novel that draws you in deeply and holds you there. Wonderful.”—Meg Wolitzer
The bestselling, beloved author returns with her first novel in over a decade, an intimate and profoundly moving look at a long marriage and the ways in which a startling request can change a couple’s understanding of who they are, together and apart.
Eliot and his wife Claire have been happily married for nearly four decades. They’ve raised two children in their sleepy Connecticut town and have weathered the inevitable ups and downs of a long life spent together. But eight years after Claire was diagnosed with cancer, the end is near, and it's time to gather loved ones and prepare for the inevitable.
Over the years of Claire’s illness, Eliot has willingly—lovingly—shifted into the role of caregiver, appreciating the intimacy and tenderness that comes with a role even more layered and complex than the one he performed as a devoted husband. But as he focuses on settling into what will be their last days and weeks together, Claire makes an unexpected request that leaves him reeling. In a moment, his carefully constructed world is shattered.
What if your partner’s dying wish broke your heart? How well do we know the deepest desires of those we love dearly? As Eliot is confronted with this profound turning point in his marriage and his life, he grapples with the man and husband he’s been, and with the great unknowns of Claire’s last days.
Ann Packer makes a triumphant return with this powerful novel that is tender and raw, visceral and unexpected. Emotionally vibrant and complex, Some Bright Nowhere explores the profound gifts and unexpected costs of truly loving someone, and the fears and desires we experience as the end of life draws near.
AN OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK
"Extraordinary. . . . This novel about marriage and friendship and life and dying is a marvel."— Elin Hilderbrand
“A moving meditation on love’s many forms and how a marriage can surprise you—right to the end.” —People Magazine
What if your partner’s dying wish broke your heart?
How well do we know the deepest wishes of those we love dearly?
Eliot and his wife, Claire, have been happily married for nearly four decades. They’ve raised two children in their sleepy Connecticut town and have weathered the unavoidable ups and downs of a long life spent together. But eight years after Claire was diagnosed with cancer, the end is near, and she makes an unexpected request that leaves Eliot reeling. Confronted by a profound turning point in his marriage and his life, Eliot grapples with the man and husband he’s been, in a novel that explores the precious gifts and unexpected costs of truly loving someone, and the fears and desires we experience as the end of life draws near.
“Skillfully surprising…We stay in the mystery of this couple, with its shades and shifts. And in the final pages, with their small, quiet turns, we have the readerly satisfaction of a good ending, that elusive and beckoning goal.”—The New York Times
"Packer sketches the nuances of [Claire and Eliot's] love with a devastating sharpness, poignantly exploring the challenges of facing death with grace."—The Washington Post
