What do you think?
Rate this book
The Young Widower's Handbook: A Novel
For Hunter Cady, meeting Kait was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. Otherwise unmotivated, he spent roughly half his twenty-nine years accomplishing very little, which makes him about fifteen in terms of real-life experience. But he’s the luckiest man on earth when it comes to his wife. Beautiful and confident, Kait is somehow charmed by Hunter’s awkwardness and droll humor. So when she dies quite suddenly, Hunter is crushed. Numb with grief, he stumbles forward the only way he knows how: by running away. To the dismay of her family, Hunter takes Kait’s ashes with him and heads west.
They had always meant to travel. Soon enough, he finds himself--and Kait--in encounters with characters even quirkier than he is: an overzealous Renaissance Faire worker; a raucous yet sympathetic troop of bachelorettes; a Chicago couple and their pet parrot, Elvis. He meets a much older man still searching for the wife who walked out on him years ago. Along the way are glimpses of Hunter and Kait’s beautiful, flawed, very real marriage and the strength it gives Hunter, even when contemplating a future without it. Insightful, wry, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, The Young Widower’s Handbook is a testament to the power of love.
They had always meant to travel. Soon enough, he finds himself--and Kait--in encounters with characters even quirkier than he is: an overzealous Renaissance Faire worker; a raucous yet sympathetic troop of bachelorettes; a Chicago couple and their pet parrot, Elvis. He meets a much older man still searching for the wife who walked out on him years ago. Along the way are glimpses of Hunter and Kait’s beautiful, flawed, very real marriage and the strength it gives Hunter, even when contemplating a future without it. Insightful, wry, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, The Young Widower’s Handbook is a testament to the power of love.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 7, 2017
56 people are currently reading
2131 people want to read
About the author
Tom McAllister
8 books203 followersTom McAllister is the author of the novels "How to Be Safe" and "The Young Widower's Handbook," as well as the memoir "Bury Me in My Jersey." He is the non-fiction editor of Barrelhouse magazine and the co-host of the weekly Book Fight! podcast. His shorter work has appeared in a number of places, including Best American Nonrequired Reading, The Collagist, Hobart, The Rumpus, and The Millions. He lives in New Jersey and is an Associate Professor in the English Department at Temple University.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
April 29, 2016
Pretty much the best book I've written this decade.
June 13, 2016
"You don't fall in love, like some people do, with the idea of being in love, but rather with her, specifically, and only her. Throughout high school and college, you were an extra in the movies of other people's lives, never better than the fourth most charismatic person in any group; your role was to be the designated driver and to occasionally deliver a sarcastic one-liner that your friends could later repeat and claim as their own. And yet when you speak, she listens."
Hunter Cady was utterly, completely in love with his wife, Kait. Sure, they had their disagreements, times when each wanted something different from their relationship and each other. Kait was occasionally frustrated at Hunter's lack of motivation career-wise, and his ability to see anything through to completion. Hunter wished Kait was more forthcoming about her past, and didn't understand why she got so anxious sometimes, and so depressed on other occasions. He was always there for her; why wasn't that enough?
But Hunter is totally unprepared when Kait dies suddenly one night. How could she die, when it seemed like just another day? How could he be a widower at age 29? What about all of the plans they had, the promises that one day they'd save enough money to travel to all of the places they had dreamed of? They were supposed to grow old together.
"...you fall in love with something intangible, the hollowness like devastating hunger when she's gone, the sense of safety she engenders, as if her presence alone will protect you from the terrors of the real world."
Hunter becomes completely despondent. His hippie mother tries to help, his corporate-minded father tries to snap him back to reality, and Kait's family, who never really liked him anyway, tries to bully him into giving them Kait's ashes. He doesn't know what to do, but he knows that his life won't be the same, and he can't go on pretending it is. He sets off on a cross-country journey with Kait's ashes, to try and better understand the woman to whom he was married, and what shape his life is going to take now that she's gone.
Along the way, he has some strange encounters with Renaissance Faire employees, bachelorette party celebrants, a long-married couple with a parrot named Elvis, and an older man still longing for his wife, who disappeared a number of years ago. And as he chronicles his journey, and deals with the reactions of those back home, Hunter reflects on his and Kait's relationship, and how while she made him believe he could be a better man than he ever was, he gave her comfort and security and love, even without the grand romantic gestures and the big trips she might have wanted.
As you'd imagine from the title, this book is a bittersweet, moving portrait of a man struggling to cope with an unfathomable loss and seeking the strength to move on. It's also funny, sarcastic, and reflective, as Hunter realizes all the factors that go into a successful relationship. There are parts of the book that are sad, yes, but this is not the sob-fest I expected it to be, which made me happy.
I really enjoyed this book, and was absolutely wowed at times by Tom McAllister's storytelling ability. I thought Hunter's road trip went on a bit too long, and I couldn't honestly believe the behavior of Kait's family, but I can't get this book out of my mind, and I can't stop wondering what happened to Hunter next. Really lovely book.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
NetGalley and Algonquin Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
Hunter Cady was utterly, completely in love with his wife, Kait. Sure, they had their disagreements, times when each wanted something different from their relationship and each other. Kait was occasionally frustrated at Hunter's lack of motivation career-wise, and his ability to see anything through to completion. Hunter wished Kait was more forthcoming about her past, and didn't understand why she got so anxious sometimes, and so depressed on other occasions. He was always there for her; why wasn't that enough?
But Hunter is totally unprepared when Kait dies suddenly one night. How could she die, when it seemed like just another day? How could he be a widower at age 29? What about all of the plans they had, the promises that one day they'd save enough money to travel to all of the places they had dreamed of? They were supposed to grow old together.
"...you fall in love with something intangible, the hollowness like devastating hunger when she's gone, the sense of safety she engenders, as if her presence alone will protect you from the terrors of the real world."
Hunter becomes completely despondent. His hippie mother tries to help, his corporate-minded father tries to snap him back to reality, and Kait's family, who never really liked him anyway, tries to bully him into giving them Kait's ashes. He doesn't know what to do, but he knows that his life won't be the same, and he can't go on pretending it is. He sets off on a cross-country journey with Kait's ashes, to try and better understand the woman to whom he was married, and what shape his life is going to take now that she's gone.
Along the way, he has some strange encounters with Renaissance Faire employees, bachelorette party celebrants, a long-married couple with a parrot named Elvis, and an older man still longing for his wife, who disappeared a number of years ago. And as he chronicles his journey, and deals with the reactions of those back home, Hunter reflects on his and Kait's relationship, and how while she made him believe he could be a better man than he ever was, he gave her comfort and security and love, even without the grand romantic gestures and the big trips she might have wanted.
As you'd imagine from the title, this book is a bittersweet, moving portrait of a man struggling to cope with an unfathomable loss and seeking the strength to move on. It's also funny, sarcastic, and reflective, as Hunter realizes all the factors that go into a successful relationship. There are parts of the book that are sad, yes, but this is not the sob-fest I expected it to be, which made me happy.
I really enjoyed this book, and was absolutely wowed at times by Tom McAllister's storytelling ability. I thought Hunter's road trip went on a bit too long, and I couldn't honestly believe the behavior of Kait's family, but I can't get this book out of my mind, and I can't stop wondering what happened to Hunter next. Really lovely book.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
NetGalley and Algonquin Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
February 7, 2017
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“Grief begins as a temporary condition, but left untreated it becomes a permanent sickness.”
Hunter Cady is a man with a severe case of arrested development. Lucky for him, he landed the perfect wife who was willing to be the grown-up in their relationship while Hunter worked a crap job at the local car rental agency and told white lies of being a “writer.” But then . . . . .
“none of that matters anymore because she’s dead and she’s dead and she’s dead and she’s dead and she’s dead and she’s never coming back.”
When Kait dies suddenly at 29 before the two have even had a chance to really begin their lives together, Hunter has no idea how he will ever survive without her. Rather than facing his new reality, Hunter (and Kait) embark on a road trip where he hopes to find the answers to who he is supposed to be and in what part of America he should be that person.
I requested this from NetGalley as quick as my fat little fingers could click as soon as I saw the synopsis. Road trippin’ with an urn! Is that a Kelly and Mitchell guaranteed win or what? Somewhere there is a blurb stating this is a sure-to-love selection for fans of Matthew Quick and Jonathon Tropper . . . but since I’m an idiot I can’t find it now. However, being that I am an expert at all things Quick and Tropper, I’d say there’s about a 50/50 shot you’ll hate this if you go in expecting something like their stuff because Tom McAllister’s voice is completely his own. While Hunter is a loser much like Quick and Tropper’s characters – he’s not very loveable and that was A-okay with me. Given enough time I find most humans end up being not very loveable so I appreciated that Hunter owned his worthlessness right from the start. If I had to compare this story to any other it would be The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving. Not only did the two books have a road trip in common, but Hunter reminded me of a young Benjamin Benjamin and the tone of each was melancholy (of which I am a giant fan).
Pretty much there are two types of people in the world. People like this . . . .
And people like me . . . . .
If you are of the same ilk, you may appreciate this little downer of a tale too. McAllister hit this one nearly out of the ballpark for me. Even the stuff I’d seen before . . . .
Didn’t seem to be borrowed (duh, dude was missing his wife not overdosing on heroin). Since (1) this was his debut and (2) he looks to be about 14 years old, there’s a solid chance this author will earn all 5 Stars from me before all is said and done because I’m telling you, this child can W.R.I.T.E. . . . . .
“There is romance and then there is love and although they’re related to each other, they are not the same thing. Romance is temporary, predicated on countless variables working synchronously to create something memorable that vaguely recalls a scene from a familiar movie; it’s perhaps a step on the way to love, or a reaffirmation of love, or maybe it’s just a single beautiful moment with no meaning beyond itself. Love, it’s this other thing, a thing that manifests itself in the most unremarkable moments. It’s there without having to assert itself.”
(^^^^I went rogue and totally quoted the quotes even though this was an advanced copy – Please note I read the not-final work product so this is subject to change. But I think if it does, it’s still pretty much a given it’ll be great.)
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
“Grief begins as a temporary condition, but left untreated it becomes a permanent sickness.”
Hunter Cady is a man with a severe case of arrested development. Lucky for him, he landed the perfect wife who was willing to be the grown-up in their relationship while Hunter worked a crap job at the local car rental agency and told white lies of being a “writer.” But then . . . . .
“none of that matters anymore because she’s dead and she’s dead and she’s dead and she’s dead and she’s dead and she’s never coming back.”
When Kait dies suddenly at 29 before the two have even had a chance to really begin their lives together, Hunter has no idea how he will ever survive without her. Rather than facing his new reality, Hunter (and Kait) embark on a road trip where he hopes to find the answers to who he is supposed to be and in what part of America he should be that person.
I requested this from NetGalley as quick as my fat little fingers could click as soon as I saw the synopsis. Road trippin’ with an urn! Is that a Kelly and Mitchell guaranteed win or what? Somewhere there is a blurb stating this is a sure-to-love selection for fans of Matthew Quick and Jonathon Tropper . . . but since I’m an idiot I can’t find it now. However, being that I am an expert at all things Quick and Tropper, I’d say there’s about a 50/50 shot you’ll hate this if you go in expecting something like their stuff because Tom McAllister’s voice is completely his own. While Hunter is a loser much like Quick and Tropper’s characters – he’s not very loveable and that was A-okay with me. Given enough time I find most humans end up being not very loveable so I appreciated that Hunter owned his worthlessness right from the start. If I had to compare this story to any other it would be The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving. Not only did the two books have a road trip in common, but Hunter reminded me of a young Benjamin Benjamin and the tone of each was melancholy (of which I am a giant fan).
Pretty much there are two types of people in the world. People like this . . . .
And people like me . . . . .
If you are of the same ilk, you may appreciate this little downer of a tale too. McAllister hit this one nearly out of the ballpark for me. Even the stuff I’d seen before . . . .
Didn’t seem to be borrowed (duh, dude was missing his wife not overdosing on heroin). Since (1) this was his debut and (2) he looks to be about 14 years old, there’s a solid chance this author will earn all 5 Stars from me before all is said and done because I’m telling you, this child can W.R.I.T.E. . . . . .
“There is romance and then there is love and although they’re related to each other, they are not the same thing. Romance is temporary, predicated on countless variables working synchronously to create something memorable that vaguely recalls a scene from a familiar movie; it’s perhaps a step on the way to love, or a reaffirmation of love, or maybe it’s just a single beautiful moment with no meaning beyond itself. Love, it’s this other thing, a thing that manifests itself in the most unremarkable moments. It’s there without having to assert itself.”
(^^^^I went rogue and totally quoted the quotes even though this was an advanced copy – Please note I read the not-final work product so this is subject to change. But I think if it does, it’s still pretty much a given it’ll be great.)
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
April 27, 2017
I received a Complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
29 year old Hunter Cady and his wife Kaithlyn have always wanted to travel the world together. Unfortunately, Kaithlyn suddenly passes away after going to the hospital. Full of heartache and grief, Hunter after receiving his wive's ashes decides to keep a promise he made to his wife. He takes her ashes out west to see the sights and try to find himself again. Will the journey last? Read on and find out for yourself.
I was recently asked by Ms. Debra Lynn from Algonquin Books to read and review The Young Widower's Handbook to consider it for a future Fiction group read nomination at the Reading for Pleasure Book Club that I run on goodreads after she had seen that we had recently read The Rosie Project there. I said "yes" and she sent the book my way in the mail. Thank you so much to Debra Lynn of Algonquin books for sending this to me and to author Tom McAllister for writing this.
This book is a very heart-warming. sad, and melancholy tale that pulls at the heart strings about one man's road trip to find himself and say goodbye to his wife. I enjoyed reading this. If you like tales like this, then definitely look for this book at your local library and wherever books are sold in bookstores and online.
29 year old Hunter Cady and his wife Kaithlyn have always wanted to travel the world together. Unfortunately, Kaithlyn suddenly passes away after going to the hospital. Full of heartache and grief, Hunter after receiving his wive's ashes decides to keep a promise he made to his wife. He takes her ashes out west to see the sights and try to find himself again. Will the journey last? Read on and find out for yourself.
I was recently asked by Ms. Debra Lynn from Algonquin Books to read and review The Young Widower's Handbook to consider it for a future Fiction group read nomination at the Reading for Pleasure Book Club that I run on goodreads after she had seen that we had recently read The Rosie Project there. I said "yes" and she sent the book my way in the mail. Thank you so much to Debra Lynn of Algonquin books for sending this to me and to author Tom McAllister for writing this.
This book is a very heart-warming. sad, and melancholy tale that pulls at the heart strings about one man's road trip to find himself and say goodbye to his wife. I enjoyed reading this. If you like tales like this, then definitely look for this book at your local library and wherever books are sold in bookstores and online.
March 3, 2017
I generally avoid novels with roses on their covers but I made an exception in this case since I've been friends with the author since MFA writing school (hence "potential conflict of interest" tag) and was curious about his first novel. It's a grief novel with not much in common with the last novel I read, a comparatively super-unconventional grief novel replete with ghosts (Lincoln in the Bardo). This one is steadier ground for grieving, although it's not entirely straighforward formally -- the perspective alternates between a third person that steadily accesses Hunter's thoughts (yet doesn't indulge in long stretches of steam of consciousness) and second person ("you"), giving the proceedings a nice texture, alternating chapter for chapter between specifics/scenes and generalization. My reading was spurred on by thematic conflict more than traditional narrative conflict (ie, where characters with mutually opposing desires go at it -- there's some conflict with Kait's family but it doesn't drive the novel forward): the conflict between tragedy and comedy; the conflict between "pleasantly hyperbolic" or often somewhat exaggerated language and the novel's down-to-earth scenes and characters (Renn Faire participants notwithstanding); the conflict of a road novel (Philly to San Fran via Chicago, St. Louis, the Plains, Grand Canyon, etc) rooted to one psychic place (at home with spouse before she died); the conflict between idealized loved one and so often icky humanity all around; similarly, the conflict of experiencing a sympathetic protagonist (widower) unafraid to risk seeming unlikable if it means staying true to what that character truly would be; the conflict between what seems like total marital/emotional dependence and the wide open future of forced independence; and finally maybe also the conflict of reading a novel about characters who if they're truly honest with each other would apparently prefer to sit around and watch bad TV -- there's a sort of understated audacity to how Hunter and Kait aren't like characters often found in novels. Hunter only skimmed Kerouac, otherwise his Dean Moriarty would be a box of ashes talking non-stop beside him at the wheel. This is a road novel more interested in the internet than the freedom of the freeways. I also liked how the ending undermined the expectation of a predictable positive uptick, how he clicks "ignore" on friends met on the road so he can move on although he ultimately seems like he'll always happily retreat into the past and imagined alt-realities in which Kait hadn't died (if this were a French or German novel, Hunter would've killed himself or someone else at the end). Despite the rose on the cover it's not really a sentimental novel. Hunter's mourning is nuanced enough to include suggestion of sex in an alley with a drunk bride-to-be (probably the novel's most kinetic scene, with the prose method-acting the drunken blur of it). Although it is willing to wallow in precious memories, most of them are mundane in a way that nicely animates their lost shared life. A seemingly difficult novel to pull off but energetic and emotionally charged opening chapters create enough momentum to push Hunter across the country and back again to ultimately deal with his mess. Good work, Tom!
November 24, 2016
The first few pages were the most adorable thing I have ever read, and the beginning gave me good hopes for the rest of the book. But the main character's negativity, passivity and pessimism quickly became wearing. I kept waiting for him to have a big eye-opening moment that would make everything worthwhile, but in vain. He just accepted everything that happened to him, and then inwardly complained about how pathetic he was, how sad his life was, how much better his wife was than him, how he didn't deserve her, how he never could do anything right...
If you're looking for an uplifting story, keep looking, because this is definitely not it.
If you're looking for an uplifting story, keep looking, because this is definitely not it.
November 4, 2016
Beginning this book was a slightly stressful experience for me, being, as I am, a big fan of the Book Fight podcast, of which Tom McAllister is a co-host. I listen weekly, often chuckling at my desk at work, and have come to appreciate McAllister's sense of humor, intelligence, and input on books. So reading his book stressed me out. Because, like, what if it SUCKED? If I read this book and it sucked, then my opinion of the author would be tarnished, and future podcast listening would be tinged with sorrow. However, this fear didn't stop me from quickly requesting the book on NetGalley when I saw that it was available. It just gave me a moment's hesitation when I saw that I had been approved.
Lucky for me, this book decidedly does NOT suck.
The premise--young widower embarks on pain-fueled cross country road trip with his wife's urn--wasn't independently exciting to me. I am not married. I have cats. And Kerouac kind of ruined road trip novels for me, at least in theory (seriously, fuck you, Jack). But I started the book and was immediately impressed by the prose (thank you for being a good writer!!) and very happy with the choice to have the chapters alternate between second and third person (I know a lot of people aren't particular fans of second person narratives, but I love). So I was all in. But still a little worried that the book would pull an A Little Life-style screw job and leave me angry. Spoiler: it didn't.
Now, I know that we all have different predilections and tastes, and I try to not be of the mind that people who dislike something I like just "don't get it." Because how smug, right? How many times have you had someone think you "don't get" their humor when, in reality, you get it--they just aren't funny? But I really feel like most of the negative reviews of this book are written by people who simply DON'T. GET. IT. It's not a feel good love story. It's not supposed to be an uplifting tale of redemption and healing, so far as I can tell. Hunter Cady is an imperfect, immature character (like most dudes in their late 20s, he's in many ways a kid trapped in a big boy body) who lucked into a relationship with someone who had her shit together more than he did as far as adulting, but who, at the end of the day, was just as fragile and flawed as he is. Because that's reality, people. We're all fucked up and the most we can hope for is to find someone whose fucked up complements our fucked up and makes us better. So when Hunter's wife, Kait, dies unexpectedly, he has nobody to steer him in the right direction, and so he acts like an asshole. He runs away with her urn. He posts seemingly glib pictures of himself and her urn on social media during his road trip. He probably fucks the bride to be when he gets swept up in a Girls Gone Wild-level bachelorette party, he lusts after a girl in her early 20s whose boyfriend is very much right there. People are often assholes when they're beset by grief. And while some Goodreads reviewers do not seem to see a point in Hunter's road trip or are made uncomfortable by the fact that he's not an entirely sympathetic character (neither are you, reviewer; neither am I), I think that's the where the book is strongest. The characters read like actual human beings, not characters in a novel, and you can empathize with Hunter's grief and his sense of complete loss without excusing or liking the fact that he's being a big ol' dick.
As far as I'm concerned, this is a really good first novel, and I'm glad that I was able to read it. And that I can still listen to Book Fight in peace and love.
Lucky for me, this book decidedly does NOT suck.
The premise--young widower embarks on pain-fueled cross country road trip with his wife's urn--wasn't independently exciting to me. I am not married. I have cats. And Kerouac kind of ruined road trip novels for me, at least in theory (seriously, fuck you, Jack). But I started the book and was immediately impressed by the prose (thank you for being a good writer!!) and very happy with the choice to have the chapters alternate between second and third person (I know a lot of people aren't particular fans of second person narratives, but I love). So I was all in. But still a little worried that the book would pull an A Little Life-style screw job and leave me angry. Spoiler: it didn't.
Now, I know that we all have different predilections and tastes, and I try to not be of the mind that people who dislike something I like just "don't get it." Because how smug, right? How many times have you had someone think you "don't get" their humor when, in reality, you get it--they just aren't funny? But I really feel like most of the negative reviews of this book are written by people who simply DON'T. GET. IT. It's not a feel good love story. It's not supposed to be an uplifting tale of redemption and healing, so far as I can tell. Hunter Cady is an imperfect, immature character (like most dudes in their late 20s, he's in many ways a kid trapped in a big boy body) who lucked into a relationship with someone who had her shit together more than he did as far as adulting, but who, at the end of the day, was just as fragile and flawed as he is. Because that's reality, people. We're all fucked up and the most we can hope for is to find someone whose fucked up complements our fucked up and makes us better. So when Hunter's wife, Kait, dies unexpectedly, he has nobody to steer him in the right direction, and so he acts like an asshole. He runs away with her urn. He posts seemingly glib pictures of himself and her urn on social media during his road trip. He probably fucks the bride to be when he gets swept up in a Girls Gone Wild-level bachelorette party, he lusts after a girl in her early 20s whose boyfriend is very much right there. People are often assholes when they're beset by grief. And while some Goodreads reviewers do not seem to see a point in Hunter's road trip or are made uncomfortable by the fact that he's not an entirely sympathetic character (neither are you, reviewer; neither am I), I think that's the where the book is strongest. The characters read like actual human beings, not characters in a novel, and you can empathize with Hunter's grief and his sense of complete loss without excusing or liking the fact that he's being a big ol' dick.
As far as I'm concerned, this is a really good first novel, and I'm glad that I was able to read it. And that I can still listen to Book Fight in peace and love.
February 11, 2017
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
For Hunter Cady, his wife Kait was always going to be the rest of his life. She was his everything. So when she dies suddenly, hunter is at a loss. In the midst of his grief, Hunter takes off for a road trip with Kait’s ashes, determined to have one last trip with her before he says goodbye forever.
I really wanted to like this book as it sounded like it was going to be a bittersweet, emotional read but unfortunately I just really didn’t. By the time I was 60% through I just wanted it to be over and read it really fast just so I could be finished with it. From the get go there was a styling of chapters I really didn’t like, every few chapters the narrative would change to second person and i really hated it. It completely drew me out of the story.
Unfortunately I also couldn’t stand the main character Hunter. I felt for him and for his grief - not to mention his completely awful in laws - but god he was so…pretentious and annoying. He was one of these guys who wanted to be an intellectual so badly, he sucked at all other kinds of jobs and could’t even hold one for an inordinate amount of time. He likes to say he was a writer even though he didn’t actually write anything. i don’t know how Kait could stand him to be honest.
I though Hunter’s journey was going to be one that showed his connection with Kait and his healing and learning how to live without her but the whole thing was more like a very prolonged mental breakdown and was very scattered. It actually made me feel uncomfortable at times because Hunter was so obviously not coping with his grief and seemed be started to suffer from mental illness. Yet no-one seemed to care that much about him. His wife was only dead a little less than eight weeks but his family treated him like crap, except his mom. His dad literally made it out like his road trip was a ‘whim’ rather than a sign of help.
“I have a job, Hunter. I can’t just disappear whenever life becomes inconvenient for me.”
Yes, a father actually said this to his grieving son. WTF? i don’t think him helping with the house near the end absolved him of being an awful dad either.
I just didn’t connect with this book and didn’t like the main character. I don’t think he’s someone i could deal with in real life, so could not deal with him in the pages either. There were some nice things in this book such as the real descriptions of Kait. I liked how Hunter acknowledged her anxiety and her bouts of depression, and didn’t hide them away but let them add to the ways he thought she was perfect. I also like how some of the things he missed about her were some realistic things, not just ‘the way the sun made her eyes glow’ or something poetic like that but the way she always missed a spot when she was shaving, or always saved him a bit of food left in any package she was eating. I liked that.
While this book did’t connect with me, I’m pretty sure others will get on with it better.
For Hunter Cady, his wife Kait was always going to be the rest of his life. She was his everything. So when she dies suddenly, hunter is at a loss. In the midst of his grief, Hunter takes off for a road trip with Kait’s ashes, determined to have one last trip with her before he says goodbye forever.
I really wanted to like this book as it sounded like it was going to be a bittersweet, emotional read but unfortunately I just really didn’t. By the time I was 60% through I just wanted it to be over and read it really fast just so I could be finished with it. From the get go there was a styling of chapters I really didn’t like, every few chapters the narrative would change to second person and i really hated it. It completely drew me out of the story.
Unfortunately I also couldn’t stand the main character Hunter. I felt for him and for his grief - not to mention his completely awful in laws - but god he was so…pretentious and annoying. He was one of these guys who wanted to be an intellectual so badly, he sucked at all other kinds of jobs and could’t even hold one for an inordinate amount of time. He likes to say he was a writer even though he didn’t actually write anything. i don’t know how Kait could stand him to be honest.
I though Hunter’s journey was going to be one that showed his connection with Kait and his healing and learning how to live without her but the whole thing was more like a very prolonged mental breakdown and was very scattered. It actually made me feel uncomfortable at times because Hunter was so obviously not coping with his grief and seemed be started to suffer from mental illness. Yet no-one seemed to care that much about him. His wife was only dead a little less than eight weeks but his family treated him like crap, except his mom. His dad literally made it out like his road trip was a ‘whim’ rather than a sign of help.
“I have a job, Hunter. I can’t just disappear whenever life becomes inconvenient for me.”
Yes, a father actually said this to his grieving son. WTF? i don’t think him helping with the house near the end absolved him of being an awful dad either.
I just didn’t connect with this book and didn’t like the main character. I don’t think he’s someone i could deal with in real life, so could not deal with him in the pages either. There were some nice things in this book such as the real descriptions of Kait. I liked how Hunter acknowledged her anxiety and her bouts of depression, and didn’t hide them away but let them add to the ways he thought she was perfect. I also like how some of the things he missed about her were some realistic things, not just ‘the way the sun made her eyes glow’ or something poetic like that but the way she always missed a spot when she was shaving, or always saved him a bit of food left in any package she was eating. I liked that.
While this book did’t connect with me, I’m pretty sure others will get on with it better.
January 10, 2017
Young Hunter Cady, at age 29, thought that he had finally found a place for himself in this world. He loved and adored his wife Kait, whom he never felt he was good enough for. The unthinkable happens, the young Kait dies, and Hunter is left floundering.
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. There were some very moving passages as Hunter is musing over his dead wife and all that she meant to him. At his wife’s wake he is having a hard time relating to his mother in law and brothers in law who never liked him from the beginning. Hunter feels unmoored and doesn’t know how to move forward.
There is some beautiful writing in this book. “He plays Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” on a loop and sings along with it, telling Kait she made him forget himself, made him think he was someone else, someone good.” “When he opens his eyes he sees thousands of ghosts in his home, each one a vision of Kait at a different stage of their shared life; they crowd into the house, some are cooking and some are sleeping and some are dancing and some are hanging pictures and everywhere around him there are Kaits.” Beautiful prose.
Hunter knows that it’s not true and yet he feels guilt about Kait’s death. He feels that everyone is judging him and wondering “exactly what you did to deserve losing your wife in this way. But what sort of transgressions can one commit for which the fair and reasonable punishment is the immediate death of one’s wife?
When he remembers that he has some insurance money to fall back on he decides to go on a road trip, one that he and Kait had planned to take, cross country. Kait has already been reduced to ashes and there is an argument as to who gets to keep the ashes, Hunter or her family when he just decides to clear out.
I really enjoyed some of the people that he met on his road trip from the extremely passionate and obsessive Renaissance Faire attendees who try to claim Hunter as one of their own to the unlikely trio of Austin, Amber and Amber’s grandfather Paul. Hunter makes up a story that he is going to meet up with his wife who has started a new job.
I laughed while reading some of this novel and felt a really dull sad ache in my heart for Hunter in other parts. I enjoyed the first half of the book immensely but then it became a little repetitive and I yearned for Hunter to grow as a person, but that didn’t happen.
I think this is a great debut novel and would recommend it. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book to read and review.
I really enjoyed the first half of this book. There were some very moving passages as Hunter is musing over his dead wife and all that she meant to him. At his wife’s wake he is having a hard time relating to his mother in law and brothers in law who never liked him from the beginning. Hunter feels unmoored and doesn’t know how to move forward.
There is some beautiful writing in this book. “He plays Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” on a loop and sings along with it, telling Kait she made him forget himself, made him think he was someone else, someone good.” “When he opens his eyes he sees thousands of ghosts in his home, each one a vision of Kait at a different stage of their shared life; they crowd into the house, some are cooking and some are sleeping and some are dancing and some are hanging pictures and everywhere around him there are Kaits.” Beautiful prose.
Hunter knows that it’s not true and yet he feels guilt about Kait’s death. He feels that everyone is judging him and wondering “exactly what you did to deserve losing your wife in this way. But what sort of transgressions can one commit for which the fair and reasonable punishment is the immediate death of one’s wife?
When he remembers that he has some insurance money to fall back on he decides to go on a road trip, one that he and Kait had planned to take, cross country. Kait has already been reduced to ashes and there is an argument as to who gets to keep the ashes, Hunter or her family when he just decides to clear out.
I really enjoyed some of the people that he met on his road trip from the extremely passionate and obsessive Renaissance Faire attendees who try to claim Hunter as one of their own to the unlikely trio of Austin, Amber and Amber’s grandfather Paul. Hunter makes up a story that he is going to meet up with his wife who has started a new job.
I laughed while reading some of this novel and felt a really dull sad ache in my heart for Hunter in other parts. I enjoyed the first half of the book immensely but then it became a little repetitive and I yearned for Hunter to grow as a person, but that didn’t happen.
I think this is a great debut novel and would recommend it. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book to read and review.
May 18, 2018
As a fan of the Bookfight podcast I was pretty excited to purchase and read Tom McAllister’s debut novel The Young Widower’s Handbook. The story is about a young widower who embarks on an aimless road trip with his wife’s ashes as he tries to come to terms with this grief and a future without her.
This book was definitely quirky, sometimes sentimental and it had some really sharp cultural critiques which I appreciated. I enjoyed the writing overall, though it did occasionally veer into what I consider awkward, “He fits into his clothes like biscuit dough bursting from the tube”. But I never once believed I was reading about real people unfortunately.
This book was definitely quirky, sometimes sentimental and it had some really sharp cultural critiques which I appreciated. I enjoyed the writing overall, though it did occasionally veer into what I consider awkward, “He fits into his clothes like biscuit dough bursting from the tube”. But I never once believed I was reading about real people unfortunately.
February 7, 2017
Poor Hunter Cady. His wife died way too soon and he just wasn't ready. When he got Kait's ashes the only thing he could think of was the trips and vacations that they dreamed about and that had never happened. So, a day or two after he received her ashes he spun the globe that she had bought him before he died. A present which he had found gift wrapped for an occasion three months away. He spun it 5 times and all 5 times it landed on the United States. That made up his mind. You can't really see the world until you really know your home country. He loaded up his car, put Kait's ashes in the passenger seat next to him and headed west.
Meanwhile his in-laws are leaving messages on his phone that they want their daughter/sister back and are threatening to go to the police. Never mind that Kait and her mother didn't really have a great relationship.
The people and activities that happen on this journey are absolutely hilarious and outlandish. He is still receiving threatening phone calls from his in-laws (one that shows his house where they have broke in and trashed the place). His parents are giving him grief and at one time his dad even flies out to bring him home. At one point, he even loses Kait.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, while parts of it were sad, the journey Hunter took was a testament of a great love. Remembering bits and pieces of their lives together showing how hard it was for him to let her go. Truly a love for the ages, an enjoyable read which I am so glad I got the chance.
Huge thanks to Algonquin Books for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
Meanwhile his in-laws are leaving messages on his phone that they want their daughter/sister back and are threatening to go to the police. Never mind that Kait and her mother didn't really have a great relationship.
The people and activities that happen on this journey are absolutely hilarious and outlandish. He is still receiving threatening phone calls from his in-laws (one that shows his house where they have broke in and trashed the place). His parents are giving him grief and at one time his dad even flies out to bring him home. At one point, he even loses Kait.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, while parts of it were sad, the journey Hunter took was a testament of a great love. Remembering bits and pieces of their lives together showing how hard it was for him to let her go. Truly a love for the ages, an enjoyable read which I am so glad I got the chance.
Huge thanks to Algonquin Books for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
June 15, 2017
A book about a millennial's grief, regret, inadequacy, a scathing satire on social media and the Internet, and trying, trying, trying to seize the day.
Hunter isn't transformed by the end because most people don't change. They age. They calcify. You hope he can get out of his own head, but you're left thinking he's frozen.
Hunter has no social net partly because he's surrounded by terrible people, but also because he's incapable of letting positive people into his life, aside from his joint-tokin' mother. If you're the average of the five people you hang out with—and Hunter's in that group—your GPA drops.
Hunter is judgmental and critical, but hasn't earned the right because he can't see anything through. His greatest and only talent was loving his wife. He's not in the "arena," to loosely quote Teddy Roosevelt, and as a result, you can't take Hunter seriously.
I give Tom major props for making a lead character that isn't entirely likable (though he wants to be liked, wants fun but can't allow it) and is, in many ways, tough/exhausting to be around. Hunter makes you look at yourself and want to make better of the time we have with our own loved ones. And that's really the point of the whole thing.
Tom's afterword about the inspiration for the book is as good as it gets and some of the best writing I've read from him.
Hunter isn't transformed by the end because most people don't change. They age. They calcify. You hope he can get out of his own head, but you're left thinking he's frozen.
Hunter has no social net partly because he's surrounded by terrible people, but also because he's incapable of letting positive people into his life, aside from his joint-tokin' mother. If you're the average of the five people you hang out with—and Hunter's in that group—your GPA drops.
Hunter is judgmental and critical, but hasn't earned the right because he can't see anything through. His greatest and only talent was loving his wife. He's not in the "arena," to loosely quote Teddy Roosevelt, and as a result, you can't take Hunter seriously.
I give Tom major props for making a lead character that isn't entirely likable (though he wants to be liked, wants fun but can't allow it) and is, in many ways, tough/exhausting to be around. Hunter makes you look at yourself and want to make better of the time we have with our own loved ones. And that's really the point of the whole thing.
Tom's afterword about the inspiration for the book is as good as it gets and some of the best writing I've read from him.
March 14, 2017
You know that old song that goes "I want to know what love is--I want you to show me"? I feel like this book tries to answer that question. Heartfelt and endearing.
April 16, 2021
4.5!!! Beautifully written! Heartbreaking insight on love and grief😭😭😭
February 18, 2017
I heard the first chapter of this book read before it was released, and it was the kind of thing that can make you believe in love. It gave me really high expectations for this book because it was romantic and sweet without being unbearable, still down to earth and funny even as it deals with love and loss, always staying unique and original. As I waited for the book to come out and read the summary, I was worried it was going to get into John Green territory--simplifying the themes, MPDGing the love interest, etc. But thankfully, the rest of the book is just as lovely and fresh as the first chapter I heard. It becomes wonderfully weird, a manic road trip novel which forces Hunter to reconcile himself with his very imperfect relationship, and slowly learn to face the future in the face of loss. The second-person chapters are also startlingly honest and intimate. In all, this book did not disappoint my very high expectations, and Tom McAllister shows off not just his sense of humor, but also his heart.
January 26, 2022
*I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway, thank you! However, it doesn't affect my review.*
I fell in love with this book, but unfortunately by the end of the book, the love had cooled off a little bit. So for me, this is worth 4.5 stars. Since it stands out from my other 4 star books, it got 5 stars in the rating anyway.
After reading the first couple of pages, I was so swept away by the writing style that I wanted to just shut out the world and read this book. The writer has the talent to cram a ton of information within a paragraph without it feeling confusing, so you get sucked into the story very quickly. All the details about Hunter's love for Kait feel real and are described beautifully.
But ... After those amazing pages, the story continues and a lot happens, but at the same time, nothing happens. I still enjoyed reading it, and there were plenty of amazing paragraphs in the whole book. My expectations were so high after the first part of the book that it's easy to get disappointed. After all: I think it's almost impossible to write 300 pages that good.
I'd recommend this book to anybody, and I can only hope the writer will continue to write in this style .
I fell in love with this book, but unfortunately by the end of the book, the love had cooled off a little bit. So for me, this is worth 4.5 stars. Since it stands out from my other 4 star books, it got 5 stars in the rating anyway.
After reading the first couple of pages, I was so swept away by the writing style that I wanted to just shut out the world and read this book. The writer has the talent to cram a ton of information within a paragraph without it feeling confusing, so you get sucked into the story very quickly. All the details about Hunter's love for Kait feel real and are described beautifully.
But ... After those amazing pages, the story continues and a lot happens, but at the same time, nothing happens. I still enjoyed reading it, and there were plenty of amazing paragraphs in the whole book. My expectations were so high after the first part of the book that it's easy to get disappointed. After all: I think it's almost impossible to write 300 pages that good.
I'd recommend this book to anybody, and I can only hope the writer will continue to write in this style .
February 22, 2017
Given the topic and enormity of the loss depicted, I so wanted to like this book and the main character Hunter Cady. I wanted to marvel at the strength of hope and to cheer for his survival. A journey such as this is often one of healing and self-discovery, but that self-actualization does not seem to happen for Hunter. His journey seems rather to drift from thing to thing, making this not the book for me.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017...
Reviewed for NetGalley
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017...
Reviewed for NetGalley
August 28, 2016
Damn this character is useless. DNF'd at 40% because I didn't care at all.
April 19, 2017
Ignore the comparison to Tropper and Quick. This is an amazing first novel.
Now, I have to confess...I was predisposed give it a favorable review. McAllister is the co-host of one of my favorite podcasts, which I have been listening to since Episode 1. His co-host on Book Fight! is a high school friend of my wife (part of why I've been listening since ep 1 - I get to hear side tales of Mike from my wife all the time). This is also the kind of literary fiction I am generally drawn to. Not overly pretentious or experimental - just well crafted prose with interesting characters and a story to tell.
My wife bought a copy of the book for me for my birthday. And when I finished it, I said to her..."I cannot say how happy I am that you got me this book." Which is saying something, considering the subject matter. No, what thrilled me was that McAllister's novel is fantastic. Well written, moving, sad, funny...all that. This is the kind of book I love reading - and it just so happens to be by someone I "know" (if only on podcast and through my wife's HS friend). It thrilled me that it wasn't just a mediocre book - it's a wonderful book.
The jacket summary compares it to Jonathan Tropper and Matthew Quick. Which is odd since I don't think it's necessarily much like either. I'd read Quick long before Book Fight launched, and I'm aware of McAllister's "feud" with him (it's one of the more consistently hilarious things about the podcast). Matthew Quick WISHES his prose was this good. And while I like Jonathan Tropper quite a bit, this novel is not nearly as intentionally funny as those. It's far more melancholy and sad - certainly more painful (if I didn't know better, I'd think McAllister had lost his wife - the grief is that intense). In many ways, more moving. And certainly more realistic - McAllister doesn't wrap everything up in a neat bow. This is not a novel about pithy lessons learned or the power of football to overcome everything. This is a very real novel about how grief can consume you if you let it. About how hard (and how necessary) "letting go" can be. Mixed in with McAllister's wonderfully wry observations on the modern age - and on a certain kind of person. The characters are well developed, the interlude chapters are fantastic and the prose is often stunningly beautiful.
I was predisposed to like this novel. I loved it instead. And I would have loved it even if I didn't listen to Book Fight! or anything like that. No...this is just a fantastic first novel. I very much look forward to reading more from him.
Now, I have to confess...I was predisposed give it a favorable review. McAllister is the co-host of one of my favorite podcasts, which I have been listening to since Episode 1. His co-host on Book Fight! is a high school friend of my wife (part of why I've been listening since ep 1 - I get to hear side tales of Mike from my wife all the time). This is also the kind of literary fiction I am generally drawn to. Not overly pretentious or experimental - just well crafted prose with interesting characters and a story to tell.
My wife bought a copy of the book for me for my birthday. And when I finished it, I said to her..."I cannot say how happy I am that you got me this book." Which is saying something, considering the subject matter. No, what thrilled me was that McAllister's novel is fantastic. Well written, moving, sad, funny...all that. This is the kind of book I love reading - and it just so happens to be by someone I "know" (if only on podcast and through my wife's HS friend). It thrilled me that it wasn't just a mediocre book - it's a wonderful book.
The jacket summary compares it to Jonathan Tropper and Matthew Quick. Which is odd since I don't think it's necessarily much like either. I'd read Quick long before Book Fight launched, and I'm aware of McAllister's "feud" with him (it's one of the more consistently hilarious things about the podcast). Matthew Quick WISHES his prose was this good. And while I like Jonathan Tropper quite a bit, this novel is not nearly as intentionally funny as those. It's far more melancholy and sad - certainly more painful (if I didn't know better, I'd think McAllister had lost his wife - the grief is that intense). In many ways, more moving. And certainly more realistic - McAllister doesn't wrap everything up in a neat bow. This is not a novel about pithy lessons learned or the power of football to overcome everything. This is a very real novel about how grief can consume you if you let it. About how hard (and how necessary) "letting go" can be. Mixed in with McAllister's wonderfully wry observations on the modern age - and on a certain kind of person. The characters are well developed, the interlude chapters are fantastic and the prose is often stunningly beautiful.
I was predisposed to like this novel. I loved it instead. And I would have loved it even if I didn't listen to Book Fight! or anything like that. No...this is just a fantastic first novel. I very much look forward to reading more from him.
March 11, 2018
I found this book to be incredibly romantic and sad, full of really insightful tidbits about marriage and life in general. Nothing about it is cliche, and I can imagine that someone who is actually a young widow would find it relatable. However, I think the plot is really nonexistent; yes, the main character goes on a road trip, but I didn’t find any of his stops or the people he met particularly interesting. I think if I had read this book from beginning to end, I would have been extremely bored. I’d suggest reading it like I did- in bits and pieces over a few months. The book works best if read as a collection of essays.
August 15, 2017
Truthfully, I read this book because the author commented on in below and I thought that was funny.
But! This book was cute. It was sad, and sweet, and dealt with something not typically talked about. The main character, Hunter, is kind of super unlikeable and I spent a long time thinking that maybe his late-wife didn't really like him either (maybe she did?). Regardless, the one thing that can't be denied was his love for her.
It's a good summer book and now I want to go on a road trip.
But! This book was cute. It was sad, and sweet, and dealt with something not typically talked about. The main character, Hunter, is kind of super unlikeable and I spent a long time thinking that maybe his late-wife didn't really like him either (maybe she did?). Regardless, the one thing that can't be denied was his love for her.
It's a good summer book and now I want to go on a road trip.
March 14, 2017
Well-written, unflinching look at a person trying to work through grief and recalibrate his life after losing his wife. This might not be the book you expect but it feels honest. Creative use of the second person peppered throughout. Not sure why some reviews found the narrator pretentious or were annoyed there wasn't more "happiness". The title should address this.
January 14, 2025
Gosh this book was good. I don't often want to reread a book, but this made me want to frame several pages. It was almost like the emotions from reading a book of poetry - you're just really teleported through the stages of love, loss, grief, and learning to live a full life again. The author really found a way to put love onto pages and then tear you apart. Loved every second.
May 26, 2018
This author really knows how to do depressing and funny at the same time and I am here for it forever.
March 20, 2020
It was interesting to read but the book was kinda depressing.
October 19, 2022
I liked the book. A tad depressing and rambling but overall made me think of the things I haven’t done yet in the name of it being too something. Live like there is no tomorrow.
July 24, 2017
Having never lost a spouse myself, I wasn't sure I could even begin to imagine the emotions and thoughts that would accompany becoming a widow at such a young age. I worried that this book would be depressing. I was so surprised when I found that not only could I relate to Hunter, even though our personalities and beliefs are very different, I didn't find the book depressing at all. It was somber and melancholy, certainly, but it was so raw and real. The plot isn't what's important in this book so much as the details, the little landmarks and road signs of a relationship. I especially loved how Hunter almost deified Cady and his relationship with her earlier on, and later moved to acknowledge their flaws and deficiencies without ever letting go of his love for her. One of my favorite reads of 2017 by far.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
April 14, 2017
When Hunter Cady’s young wife Kait suddenly dies, he becomes a young, emotionally immature widower trying to come to grips with what has happened. His family and friends try to help and are extremely worried about his mental health. Her dysfunctional family is just angry at him for not going along with what they want for Kait’s funeral. Confused and grieving he takes Kait’s ashes and goes on a bizarre road trip across the country.
This is a fast paced emotional ride through sorrow and loss, sometimes relatable, sometimes funny, with a lot of strange characters all dealing with different issues. It’s told in a disconcerting 3rd person narrative. I’d place this novel in the YA category, with a small warning about sexual content and drug/alcohol use. I’m giving 4 stars to Tom McAllister’s debut novel.
This is a fast paced emotional ride through sorrow and loss, sometimes relatable, sometimes funny, with a lot of strange characters all dealing with different issues. It’s told in a disconcerting 3rd person narrative. I’d place this novel in the YA category, with a small warning about sexual content and drug/alcohol use. I’m giving 4 stars to Tom McAllister’s debut novel.
June 16, 2019
The January 2017 selection of The Nervous Breakdown Book Club has a misleading title. It surely is a perceptive blend of whimsy and tragedy. Hunter Cady did indeed lose his young wife too soon. The novel however is distinctly not a handbook. It is a road trip novel, one of my favorite types of stories.
Now that I think about it, except for Thelma and Louise, most road trippers are male, either in search of adventure or looking for themselves. Some run away from loss, some run for their lives after a crime. A road trip can be a way of accelerating change.
Hunter Cady, carrying his wife's ashes, to which he often talks, escaping his wife's mother as well as his own, is sure no one will ever understand and accept him as Kaitlyn did. He does find wry adventure and comes to find a new version of himself.
This debut novel may not be a masterpiece but it is nicely done and gave me hours of emotional ups and downs while ultimately leading me to a feeling of well being.
Now that I think about it, except for Thelma and Louise, most road trippers are male, either in search of adventure or looking for themselves. Some run away from loss, some run for their lives after a crime. A road trip can be a way of accelerating change.
Hunter Cady, carrying his wife's ashes, to which he often talks, escaping his wife's mother as well as his own, is sure no one will ever understand and accept him as Kaitlyn did. He does find wry adventure and comes to find a new version of himself.
This debut novel may not be a masterpiece but it is nicely done and gave me hours of emotional ups and downs while ultimately leading me to a feeling of well being.
March 8, 2017
Hunter is 29, and the one thing he's accomplished is creating a happy marriage with Kait. His life revolves around their relationship and their shared dream of saving up enough money and time to travel the world. When Kait dies with no warning, Hunter can't face the thought of remaining alone in their Philadelphia home. He takes Kait's ashes and very little else, gets in the car, and starts driving west in search of anything that might help him comprehend a future without Kait.
This is a novel about grief, so it certainly includes plenty of sadness. I cried at the end of the short first chapter, which means McAllister pulled off the tricky writing challenge of getting me emotionally invested in just 10 pages. It's also a book about a road trip that goes ridiculously wrong, and I often laughed at the people Hunter encounters and the situations he gets himself into. Finally, it's the story of a relationship, and the flashbacks to Hunter and Kait's marriage contain some of my favorite bits, both funny and heart-wrenching. I admired the perceptive observations about the reality of how people relate, such as a passage on the concept that "It's in the arguments that you ultimately felt the love."
I recommend this to anyone who likes character-focused novels and the opportunity to both cry and laugh over a book. I also recommend the weekly podcast McAllister co-hosts, Book Fight!, which generally only produces laughter.
This is a novel about grief, so it certainly includes plenty of sadness. I cried at the end of the short first chapter, which means McAllister pulled off the tricky writing challenge of getting me emotionally invested in just 10 pages. It's also a book about a road trip that goes ridiculously wrong, and I often laughed at the people Hunter encounters and the situations he gets himself into. Finally, it's the story of a relationship, and the flashbacks to Hunter and Kait's marriage contain some of my favorite bits, both funny and heart-wrenching. I admired the perceptive observations about the reality of how people relate, such as a passage on the concept that "It's in the arguments that you ultimately felt the love."
I recommend this to anyone who likes character-focused novels and the opportunity to both cry and laugh over a book. I also recommend the weekly podcast McAllister co-hosts, Book Fight!, which generally only produces laughter.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews