The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards

(Hardback)

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Description

A widows life is turned upside when she uncovers the truth about her late husband in this lyrical, witty, and deeply moving memoir of tragedy and betrayal.

In the midst of mourning her husbands sudden death, writer Jessica Waite discovered shocking secrets that undermined everything she thought she knew about the man shed loved and trusted. From uncovered affairs to drug use and a pornography addiction, Waite was overwhelmed reconciling this devastating information with her new reality as a widowed single mom. Then, to further complicate matters, strange, inexplicable coincidences forced her to consider whether her husband was reaching back from beyond the grave.

With her signature candor and unflinching honesty, Waite details her tumultuous love story and the pain of adjusting to the new normal she built for herself and her son. A riveting, difficult, and surprisingly beautiful story, The Widows Guide to Dead Bastards is also a lyrical exploration of grief, mental health, single parenthood, and betrayal that demonstrates that the most moving love stories arent perfecttheyre flawed and poignantly real.

Reviews

"Jessica Waite masterfully weaves the truth of a life and a marriage, taking the reader on an unflinchingly raw journey of love, loss, betrayal, and re-emergence. She bravely explores the complexities of the relationship contracts that bind usfor better or for worseand in human and spirit form. The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards is a gorgeous triumph, a starkly honest and deeply nuanced account of one woman's journey that will inspire all."
Peggy Fitzsimmons Ph.D., author of Release: Create a Clutter Free and Soul Driven Life
"Propulsive, wild, supernatural and human on the best level, Jessica WaitesThe Widows Guide to Dead Bastardstackles marriage, grief, betrayal and reconciliation with heroic dedication, sharp wit and an indelible spirit. A memoir that tests the limits of the human heart, and elevates the form with rousing success. I couldnt put it down."
Ali Bryan, award-winning author ofCoqandThe Crow Valley Karaoke Championships
"Cracked this open to peek one morning at breakfastan hour later I was late for so many things, but I COULD NOT STOP READING. Its got all the emotions: Falling in love.the true kind. Shock. Hope. Rage. Heartbreak. For me, a perfect book about the depths of human love and loss. It is a marvel!"
Sarah Bamford Seidelmann, author of Swimming with Elephants: My Unexpected Pilgrimage from Physician to Healer
"Jessica Waite's The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards isa hell of a ride. By turns emotional, hilarious, and always very, very human, Waite gives readers access to the secrets that spilled into her lap after her husband's untimely death. Waite masterfully sets an example of how we might honor and cherishdeparted loved ones who enriched, damaged, and marked our lives forever. You will stay up all night reading this gem."
Christie Tate, New York Times bestselling author of GROUP
"As Jessica Waite uncovers external and internal truths in a world rocked by her dead husband's secrets, we get a front row seat to her winding road of healing and redemption. With dark humor and impressive resolve, Jessica finds her way back from loss and betrayal to forgiveness. A powerful and inspiring story, this one. Don't miss it."
Martha Jo Atkins, author of Signposts of Dying, founder of Dying School
"For those who've experienced the strange land of intense grief and the crushing revelation of betrayal."
Lauren Carter, award winning author of This Has Nothing to Do With You
"Jessica Waite is a lavishly gifted writer with a riveting tale to tell. The Widows Guide to Dead Bastards is a page-turning psychological mystery, an inspiring story of endurance, a guide to healing and redemptionand its all true. Treat yourself to this book when youre in the mood for a fascinating, funny, thought-provoking, and inspiring read."
Martha Beck,bestselling author of The Way of Integrity
Horrifying and yet compulsive,The Widows Guide to Dead Bastardsis a memoir that reads like a whodunnit. Waites intelligence and sincerity, as she ricochets between revenge and forgiveness, lifts this book above its sordid details into a compelling guide to re-inventing oneself after the devastating loss of a spouse.
Sandra Martin, award winning author ofA Good Death
When Jessica Waite discovers her husbands secret infidelitiesafter he unexpectedly dies in a foreign country, shes rocked to her core. Does this mean she wasnt enough Shock, anger and revenge propel her through all the stages of grief in a rollicking seesaw of raw emotion until she finally arrives at acceptance. Forgiveness is at the heart of this memoir, but the way she gets thereplucking wisdom from the ashes of her revenge fantasiesis deliciously funny. Multi-layered and brilliantly written,this book is a tour de force!
Plum Johnson, award-winning author ofThey Left Us Everything

Author Bio

Jessica Waite never realized she was a latchkey kid because she lived so close to her smalltown library. Now, she leads people to heal through writing and mentors incarcerated writers through the Heros Journey Prison Writing Project. Shes an award-winning essayist who lives in Calgary, Alberta on Treaty 7 territory, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. You can find her atJessicaWaite.work.