Consolation

by Deborah Shapiro

Consolation is a slim novel that focuses on what happens when a celebrated photojournalist is killed in a car accident and three women whose lives overlapped with his are left to reckon with his absence. As these women, each of a different generation, navigate the emotional landscape of grief, they question how their lives have unfolded and how this loss might change their paths going forward. With empathy and humor, Consolation explores the connections and echoes that exist among these women as it looks at those ambiguous yet affecting relationships we never quite know how to define. And it delves into the complexities of modern life—the inauthenticity prompted in us all by social media; the gaps created by gender, age, and class that we’re forever trying to fill; and our collective struggle to balance the choices available to us in ways that will not foreclose either happiness or fulfillment. Whose losses do we deem valuable and whose work and ambitions are given room to grow? What happens when the footnotes become the story?

189 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2022

About the author

Deborah Shapiro was born and raised outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Sight Unseen, Tin House, Literary Hub, and elsewhere. Her first novel, The Sun In Your Eyes, was selected as an Editors' Choice by The New York Times Book Review, as well as one of the season's best reads by Harper's Bazaar, The Wall Street Journal Magazine, Chicago Tribune, and Vulture, among others. She lives in Chicago with her family.

Reviews

[Jennifer Solheim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a luminous novel, a portrait of three women coming to terms with different stages of aging, connected through their grief over the car accident death of James, a famous photojournalist, whom former dancer Holly knew as the nephew she helped raise; creative director Justine knew from childhood and as a fleeting lover in their twenties; and erstwhile writer Marina knew as her somewhat older boyfriend until they broke up just before he died. There's a simmering rage to this novel about the ways in which women get short shrift and need to compromise creatively; there are also incredibly funny insights in this novel about these issues. Smart literary fiction that left me, as the reader, feeling held and carried.

[Lindsay Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. It is about art and being a woman of a certain age(s) and grief and New York and LIFE. What a beautiful, beautiful book.

[CP · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem of a book. It's so touching yet funny and wise; I loved learning how one rather enigmatic yet charismatic person, and his death (not a spoiler), became an opportunity for reflection and connection for three fascinating women: a drifting millennial (the girlfriend and recent ex), a middle-aged mom (they met as children and had a memorable fling) and a single, older, former dancer (his cool aunt). I could relate to all of them and their desire to live an interesting and purposeful life. I really liked all three characters, maybe especially the urban, artsy, thoughtful aunt, because she's not the type of character I often meet in the novels I read, and she had an interesting perspective. This wonderful book has had lasting impact on me -- I can't recommend it highly enough!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely enchanted by the profound quiet, internal lushness and emotional honesty of this beautiful book.

[Gita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I’ve read in more than a year, maybe even two. I put off reading it, because I wasn’t sure if I was emotionally ready for a book about grief. It wasn’t really that, though, or at least not a gross dissection of loss and grief. It’s actually a profound exploration of three women’s interiority as they move through their lives, a portion of which is a loss that affects them each in different ways. What hit me most was the near-perfect precision of language used to describe simple observations as well as important feelings. Dozens of times, I found myself thinking, “there’s no better way to describe this,” and a handful of others that for the first time made me fully aware that someone else notices and might react similarly to the same small moments as I do (as I’m sure many of us do). I’m still contemplating the last page, but I think I’m content not knowing if my interpretation of it is a good one.

[Lauren Acampora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Deborah Shapiro's books, and Consolation is wonderful. In its exploration of grief, it lays bare the kaleidoscopic mosaic of life, and the complications of art and human connection. No one can match Shapiro in pinpointing elusive internal states and relationship dynamics with breathtaking accuracy. When it comes to deep, reverberating insight, she is queen.

[V K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shapiro’s ability to capture the inner world remains extraordinary. I was so moved - and felt so seen - reading this latest novel. Funny, heart-wrenching, deeply human, insightful without pretension. Just great.

[Cassie Stroud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh I loved this. It's a book about womanhood, ageing, New York, frustrated creativity, and in particular the idea of becoming a footnote in someone else's life story. You might like it if you're into Claire Messud, Dana Spiotta or even Nell Freudenberger.