A haunting meditation on mortality, grief, and loss. Perhaps no one but Kay Redfield Jamison--who combines the acute perceptions of a psychologist with a writerly elegance and passion--could bring such a delicate touch to the subject of losing a spouse to cancer. She looks back at her relationship with her husband, Richard Wyatt, a renowned scientist who battled dyslexia to become one of the foremost experts on schizophrenia. And with her characteristic...

Audrey Burke is reeling from the shock of the news that has just been delivered to her door by the local police - her husband, Brian, had been killed in a random act of violence. Once anchored by the love and comforts of their marriage, Audrey is now adrift. Impulsively, she turns to Jerry, a down-and-out addict who has been her husband's close friend since childhood. Desperate to fill the painful void caused by her husband's death, Audrey invites...