Red Hook Road

Set on the coast of Maine over the course of four summers, Red Hook Road tells the story of two families, the Tetherlys and the Copakens, and of the ways in which their lives are unraveled and stitched together by misfortune, by good intentions and failure, and by love and calamity.

A marriage collapses under the strain of a daughter's death; two bereaved siblings find comfort in one another; and an adopted young girl breathes new life into her family with her prodigious talent for the violin. As she writes with obvious affection for these unforgettable characters, Ayelet Waldman skillfully interweaves life's finer pleasures--music and literature--with the more mundane joys of living. Within these resonant pages, a vase filled with wildflowers or a cold beer on a hot summer day serve as constant reminders that it's often the little things that make life so precious.

From the Hardcover edition.

A rich and rewarding story of love, loss, and the power of family from the bestselling author of Bad Mother and Love and Other Impossible Pursuits.

In the aftermath of a devastating wedding day, two families, the Tetherlys and the Copakens, find their lives unraveled by unthinkable loss. Over the course of the next four summers in Red Hook, Maine, they struggle to bridge differences of class and background to honor the memory of the couple, Becca and John. As Waldman explores the unique and personal ways in which each character responds to the tragedy—from the budding romance between the two surviving children, Ruthie and Matt, to the struggling marriage between Iris, a high strung professor in New York, and her husband Daniel—she creates a powerful family portrait and a beautiful reminder of the joys of life.

Elegantly written and emotionally gripping, Red Hook Road affirms Waldman’s place among today’s most talented authors.

“Excellent. . . . A compelling, unique story. . . . Grabs the reader right away.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Lovely. . . . Memorable. . . . Waldman’s vivid writing makes the reader feel a part of both the wildly beautiful Maine coast and two families’ heart-crushing grief.” —Chicago Sun-Times

“Waldman writes beautifully. . . . [She] keeps her eyes on the road, carrying us into dark territory with wisdom and grace.” —The Washington Post

“You won’t be able to tear yourself away.” —Real Simple

“This beautiful novel shows us how families cope with the most painful kinds of loss and reminds us that even as grief fractures, it can pave the way for unexpected grace.” —Ann Packer, author of The Dive from Clausen’s Pier and Songs Without Words

“Waldman knits [relationships] together with the pleasing symmetry of a doily. . . . She also constructs an impressive parallel between the vocations of shipbuilding and playing a stringed instrument. . . . Readers will enjoy the ride.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Articulately plumbs the depths of the parent-child bond with clarity and intense feeling.” —USA Today

“Waldman writes with practiced skill. . . . It’s a love story, a tragedy, a family saga, as well as a novel about class conflict that pits two stubborn, controlling women against one another.” —The Boston Globe

“Terrific. . . . Waldman’s prose style is lovely and fresh. . . . This book made me happy, and happy to be alive.” —Pat Conroy, Amazon.com Review

“With the careful attention of a movie director, Waldman renders a panoramic scene of a wedding. . . . Lyrical descriptions.” —Philadelphia Inquirer

“A handbook offering all the varieties of responding to loss. . . . A literary puzzle with rich and emotional rewards. . . . Delicate and insistent. . . . Red Hook Road proves life and art are worth it.” —Bookslut

“[An] engagingly complex examination of two close families.” —O, The Oprah Magazine

“Moving. . . . [A] wise and beautifully written book.” —Downeast.com

“Searing. . . . All of the characters are acutely rendered. . . . One of the pleasures of the book is in its detailed description of work: boat building, boxing, teaching and learning music. Sometimes, it suggests, what saves us is the work of our stubborn hands.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Elegant and riveting. . . . A masterful imagining of the way a single tragic event impacts the psyches and behaviors and dynamics of two families.” —Kelly Korrigan, author of The Middle Place and Lift