The Widow's Watcher by Eliza Maxwell Published by Brilliance Audio, Lake Union Publishing on May 29, 2018
Genres: Women's Fiction
Pages: 286
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 1503901041
ASIN: B07CRRYKJ8
Goodreads
From Eliza Maxwell, the bestselling author of The Unremembered Girl, comes a gripping novel about the mysteries that haunt us and the twists of fate that can unravel them…
Living in the shadow of a decades-old crime that stole his children from him, reclusive Lars Jorgensen is an unlikely savior. But when a stranger walks onto the ice of a frozen Minnesota lake, her intentions are brutally clear, and the old man isn’t about to let her follow through.
Jenna Shaw didn’t ask for Lars’s help, nor does she want it. After he pulls her from the brink, however, Jenna finds her desire to give up challenged by their unlikely friendship. In Jenna, Lars recognizes his last chance for redemption. And in her quest to solve the mysteries of Lars’s past and bring him closure, Jenna may find the way out of her own darkness.
But the truth that waits threatens to shatter it all. When secrets are surrendered and lies are laid bare, Jenna and Lars may find that accepting the past isn’t their greatest challenge. Can they afford the heartbreaking price of forgiveness?
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The Widow’s Watcher by Eliza Maxwell touches on many topics: suicidal ideation, surviving tragic loss, mental illness, and the importance of family and forgiveness. For those of you who are thinking right now that this book sounds like a real downer, I’m not going to lie. You will be well into the narrative before you begin to see some light. Yet, isn’t literature supposed to be real? And isn’t it supposed to reflect the human condition? Aren’t we supposed to find characters with whom we can identify and for whom we feel empathy? Eliza Maxwell delivers all of these elements and more. The underlying theme in my mind is salvation – not as a religious experience, but as that deliverance which only human beings who are lost can bring as they rescue each other. Lars Jorgensen and Jenna Shaw have both suffered devastating losses. The exact circumstances of Lars’ loss remain a mystery after years of investigation while Jenna knows every detail of the tragedy that is driving her toward the icy waters of a Minnesota lake. Lars is a survivor but Jenna is determined not to be one if it means living in a world without her family. Will asking Jenna to rescue him be Lars’ way of bringing her to salvation?
Angela Dawe is an accomplished and prolific narrator who sets just the right tone for this book with its Scandinavian/Midwestern characters. From Jenna’s daughter Cassie whose voice Jenna hears in her head to the mad woman who is Lars’ wife Audrey, her voices are perfect for each one.
Regardless of what genre you prefer, you will be saddened, horrified, and uplifted by this beautifully written book. The Widow’s Watcher is not a romance, but it is a love story. It’s not a thriller, but there is a mystery. There isn’t a traditional HEA, but there is forgiveness, redemption, and hopefulness. Whether you choose to listen or to read, you will be moved by the way Eliza Maxwell tenderly handles some very disturbing subject matter with compassion and insight.
About Eliza Maxwell
Eliza Maxwell is the author of The Unremembered Girl, The Grave Tender, and The Kinfolk. She writes fiction from her home in Texas, which she shares with her ever-patient husband, two impatient kids, a ridiculous English setter, and a bird named Sarah. An artist and writer, a dedicated introvert, and a British cop-drama addict, she enjoys nothing more than sitting on the front porch with a good cup of coffee.
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