The Widower’s Notebook: Jonathan Santlofer with Sarah Weinman

On a summer day in New York Jonathan Santlofer discovers his wife, Joy, gasping for breath on their living room couch. After a frenzied 911 call, an ambulance race across Manhattan, and hours pacing in a hospital waiting room, a doctor finally delivers the fateful news. Consumed by grief, Jonathan desperately tries to pursue life as he always had—writing, social engagements, and working on his art—but finds it nearly impossible to admit his deep feelings of loss to anyone, not even his to beloved daughter, Doria, or to himself. As Jonathan grieves and heals, he tries to unravel what happened to Joy, a journey that will take him nearly two years.

Written with unexpected humor and great warmth, The Widower’s Notebook is a portrait of a marriage, an account of the complexities of finding oneself single again after losing your spouse, and a story of the enduring power of familial love.

“This is deeply moving … beautifully written and modulated, with a dollop of droll, black humor. It is such an achievement, like running uphill against a strong wind.”—Joyce Carol Oates

Jonathan Santlofer is a writer and artist. His debut novel, The Death Artist, was an international bestseller translated into 17 languages, and is currently in development for screen adaptation. His fourth novel, Anatomy of Fear, won the Nero Award for best novel of 2009. His short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. His paintings and drawings are included in collections at Metropolitan Museum of Art, Newark Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, and more. He is the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts grants, and serves on the board of Yaddo, the oldest arts community in the US.

Sarah Weinman is editor of Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940s & 50s, published by the Library of America in 2015, and of Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives: Stories From the Trailblazers of Domestic Suspense, published by Penguin in 2013.











When: Wed., Jul. 18, 2018 at 7:00 pm
Where: McNally Jackson
52 Prince St.
212-274-1160
Price: Free
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On a summer day in New York Jonathan Santlofer discovers his wife, Joy, gasping for breath on their living room couch. After a frenzied 911 call, an ambulance race across Manhattan, and hours pacing in a hospital waiting room, a doctor finally delivers the fateful news. Consumed by grief, Jonathan desperately tries to pursue life as he always had—writing, social engagements, and working on his art—but finds it nearly impossible to admit his deep feelings of loss to anyone, not even his to beloved daughter, Doria, or to himself. As Jonathan grieves and heals, he tries to unravel what happened to Joy, a journey that will take him nearly two years.

Written with unexpected humor and great warmth, The Widower’s Notebook is a portrait of a marriage, an account of the complexities of finding oneself single again after losing your spouse, and a story of the enduring power of familial love.

“This is deeply moving … beautifully written and modulated, with a dollop of droll, black humor. It is such an achievement, like running uphill against a strong wind.”—Joyce Carol Oates

Jonathan Santlofer is a writer and artist. His debut novel, The Death Artist, was an international bestseller translated into 17 languages, and is currently in development for screen adaptation. His fourth novel, Anatomy of Fear, won the Nero Award for best novel of 2009. His short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. His paintings and drawings are included in collections at Metropolitan Museum of Art, Newark Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, and more. He is the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts grants, and serves on the board of Yaddo, the oldest arts community in the US.

Sarah Weinman is editor of Women Crime Writers: Eight Suspense Novels of the 1940s & 50s, published by the Library of America in 2015, and of Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives: Stories From the Trailblazers of Domestic Suspense, published by Penguin in 2013.

Buy tickets/get more info now