Title: A Widow’s Story
Author: Joyce Carol Oates
Publisher: Ecco
Publication Date: February 15, 2011
Hardcover: 432 pages
ISBN: 978-0062015532
Genre: Memoir
In a work unlike anything she’s written before, National Book Award winner Joyce Carol Oates unveils a poignant, intimate memoir about the unexpected death of her husband of forty-six years and its wrenching, surprising aftermath.
“My husband died, my life collapsed.”
On a February morning in 2008, Joyce Carol Oates drove her ailing husband, Raymond Smith, to the emergency room of the Princeton Medical Center where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. Both Joyce and Ray expected him to be released in a day or two. But in less than a week, even as Joyce was preparing for his discharge, Ray died from a virulent hospital-acquired infection, and Joyce was suddenly faced—totally unprepared—with the stunning reality of widowhood.
A Widow’s Story illuminates one woman’s struggle to comprehend a life without the partnership that had sustained and defined her for nearly half a century. As never before, Joyce Carol Oates shares the derangement of denial, the anguish of loss, the disorientation of the survivor amid a nightmare of “death-duties,” and the solace of friendship. She writes unflinchingly of the experience of grief—the almost unbearable suspense of the hospital vigil, the treacherous “pools” of memory that surround us, the vocabulary of illness, the absurdities of commercialized forms of mourning. Here is a frank acknowledgment of the widow’s desperation—only gradually yielding to the recognition that “this is my life now.”
Enlivened by the piercing vision, acute perception, and mordant humor that are the hallmarks of the work of Joyce Carol Oates, this moving tale of life and death, love and grief, offers a candid, never-before-glimpsed view of the acclaimed author and fiercely private woman.
My Review:
Transformative, powerful, lyrical and bittersweet, A Widow’s Story by Joyce Carol Oates is a memoir of Oates’ life when her husband of 48 years is hospitalised for what appears to be a routine case of pneumonia. The reader first hears the voice of Oates as she speaks as the Widow-to-Be, where she describes the thought process, denial, and the rapidity of time. This memoir is extremely painful to read due to Oates’ raw, emotional, and intense prose, yet this is a book that should be read by those who have suffered loss and to better understand what someone who is going through a loss is truly experiencing. Oates gives life to the feelings of suddenly going from being partnered to being utterly alone, fragmented, disjointed. A Widow’s Story is unlike Oates’ other works and yet it is evocative, profound, and one that will lift the reader up and bring the reader to tears. Quite honestly, the thought of losing my husband by any means is my worst fear, I was not certain if I would be able to get through A Widow’s Story as Oates puts into words my worst fears and then beyond what I could imagine. For those who think as I did, that this would be too painful a book to read, please read it. A Widow’s Story offers extraordinary insight that is not often found in memoirs of loss, Oates delves deeply into her emotions and extends her feelings to the readers. I am extremely grateful I was given A Widow’s Story to read and while I hope never to experience the pain Oates suffered at the loss of her husband, Raymond Smith, I do know people going through loss and at least have a clearer insight into what they are going through. A loss of this magnitude is not as simple as the steps of grief. I cannot praise this memoir enough yet I will warn it is neither an easy book to read nor a quick read, however one that should be read. I recommend A Widow’s Story to all readers.
Joyce Carol Oates is a recipient of the National Book Award and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction. She has written some of the most enduring fiction of our time, including the national bestsellers We Were the Mulvaneys and Blonde (a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize), and the New York Times bestsellers The Falls (winner of the 2005 Prix Femina Etranger) and The Gravedigger’s Daughter. She is the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Princeton University and has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1978. In 2003 she received the Common Wealth Award for Distinguished Service in Literature and The Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement, and in 2006 she received the Chicago Tribune Lifetime Achievement Award.
To learn more about Joyce Carol Oates and her works look here.
I received a complimentary ARC of A Widow’s Story by Joyce Carol Oates from Ecco to review. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.
Even though it is obviously sad, this is definitely a book for me. Thank you so much for reviewing it, J!
I honestly was not certain if I could handle reading a book based on my worst fear. I would tell myself, just a few more pages and then I realised Joyce Carol Oates had such a beautiful, raw, insightful and useful message for all to hear, I stopped worrying about my fear and learned from her.
I could not read this right now as I am walking through it with a good friend whose husband (of 35 years) was killed in a car accident 6 months ago.
June marks the Anniversary of my best friend’s husband’s death. It was unexpected to say the least and they thought he would be going home and he did not. I honestly was not certain if I could read the book, but I am very, very grateful I did.
This is a wonderful review of Joyce Carol Oates’ beautiful memoir. I agree that she is extremely honest and raw in her depiction of the emotion she experiences while grieving. I finished this book a few days ago and will be reviewing it soon. It took me a long time to read it as it is so powerful and intense. My heart went out to her when she was in such despair but she rallied well and I think she was quite fortunate to have a professional life and career of such magnitude to rely on as it seems to have helped her fight some of her demons.
~ Amy
I am very glad I read the book. At times it was so painful, I did not know if I could continue on with it, but ultimately I am glad I did.
This sounds excellent.
A Widow’s Story is indeed splendid.
I have a good friend who lost her husband of 28+ years suddenly last year. I wonder if I should give her a copy of this one?
Staci,
I would. My friend lost her husband and reading this book has even helped me to better understand the process she is going through.
I really want to read this one, but I’m not sure this is the right time for me. Excellent review!
I was not certain if I could get through it, I really did not think I would be able to and yet her beautiful prose drew me in, held me, and I learned along the way.
It’s definitely on my list. I appreciate your thoughtful review.
I am very pleased to hear it is on your list. The book is exquisitely written.
Your review is so awesome. I particularly liked this sentence ” A loss of this magnitude is not as simple as the steps of grief.”
Great piece.
Thank you for your kind words. A Widow’s Story is an amazing book.
I’ve read and loved many other books by Joyce Carol Oates, and this one sounds very powerful — I’m just not sure I could handle it! Books on grief usually impact me in very profound ways, and I try to steer into more upbeat waters. Still, a lovely review.
As I wrote in my review I really was not certain I could read the book as it laid bare my biggest fear. Yet, I believe the book made me a stronger person and far more compassionate to those going through a loss.
Great review of what sounds like a great book.
A Widow’s Story is one of those rare books that stay with the reader and the reader constantly learns from what has been read. It is extraordinarily beautiful and sad.