A SYMMETRY OF HUSBANDS
A SYMMETRY OF HUSBANDS, a psychologically rich literary novel with elements of suspense, probes the jealousy and betrayal that hide in a life-long friendship. It takes its title from a poem read by Douglas Adams at the funeral of his wife Megan, who has died from complications of MS. He also reads, "Grief wrongs us so. I stand, and wait, and cry/For the absurd forgiveness, not knowing why." Abigail, Megan's friend and caretaker on Boston's North Shore, has an idea why Douglas might ask for Megan's forgiveness. It's the reason Abigail herself might also ask forgiveness of both Megan and of Abigail's husband, James; neither Megan nor James knew about the affair between Douglas and Abigail.
As a child, Megan learns of the sexual abuse Abigail suffered at the hands of her father, a secret Abigail told no one. Megan also learns of her husband Douglas’s repeated infidelities. All four of the major characters keep secrets that become revealed after Megan’s death. Abigail steals her friend’s journal, and puzzles over a mysterious relationship Megan had. In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, as Abigail grieves for her friend and worries about the dangers of a Trump presidency, she becomes suspicious of the circumstances of her friend's death. Perhaps Douglas needs forgiveness for more than she previously knew. The novel ends with the awareness of her own unwitting complicity.
Fiction (Novel)
ISBN: 978-1-956692-83-9
Publication Date: 11/7/2023
A SYMMETRY OF HUSBANDS, a psychologically rich literary novel with elements of suspense, probes the jealousy and betrayal that hide in a life-long friendship. It takes its title from a poem read by Douglas Adams at the funeral of his wife Megan, who has died from complications of MS. He also reads, "Grief wrongs us so. I stand, and wait, and cry/For the absurd forgiveness, not knowing why." Abigail, Megan's friend and caretaker on Boston's North Shore, has an idea why Douglas might ask for Megan's forgiveness. It's the reason Abigail herself might also ask forgiveness of both Megan and of Abigail's husband, James; neither Megan nor James knew about the affair between Douglas and Abigail.
As a child, Megan learns of the sexual abuse Abigail suffered at the hands of her father, a secret Abigail told no one. Megan also learns of her husband Douglas’s repeated infidelities. All four of the major characters keep secrets that become revealed after Megan’s death. Abigail steals her friend’s journal, and puzzles over a mysterious relationship Megan had. In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, as Abigail grieves for her friend and worries about the dangers of a Trump presidency, she becomes suspicious of the circumstances of her friend's death. Perhaps Douglas needs forgiveness for more than she previously knew. The novel ends with the awareness of her own unwitting complicity.
Fiction (Novel)
ISBN: 978-1-956692-83-9
Publication Date: 11/7/2023
A SYMMETRY OF HUSBANDS, a psychologically rich literary novel with elements of suspense, probes the jealousy and betrayal that hide in a life-long friendship. It takes its title from a poem read by Douglas Adams at the funeral of his wife Megan, who has died from complications of MS. He also reads, "Grief wrongs us so. I stand, and wait, and cry/For the absurd forgiveness, not knowing why." Abigail, Megan's friend and caretaker on Boston's North Shore, has an idea why Douglas might ask for Megan's forgiveness. It's the reason Abigail herself might also ask forgiveness of both Megan and of Abigail's husband, James; neither Megan nor James knew about the affair between Douglas and Abigail.
As a child, Megan learns of the sexual abuse Abigail suffered at the hands of her father, a secret Abigail told no one. Megan also learns of her husband Douglas’s repeated infidelities. All four of the major characters keep secrets that become revealed after Megan’s death. Abigail steals her friend’s journal, and puzzles over a mysterious relationship Megan had. In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, as Abigail grieves for her friend and worries about the dangers of a Trump presidency, she becomes suspicious of the circumstances of her friend's death. Perhaps Douglas needs forgiveness for more than she previously knew. The novel ends with the awareness of her own unwitting complicity.
Fiction (Novel)
ISBN: 978-1-956692-83-9
Publication Date: 11/7/2023
Praise for A SYMMETRY OF HUSBANDS
"Patricia O’Donnell writes unfailingly about the rawness of human relationships with this investigation of contradiction, grief, hope, and memory. With her sparse prose, stark honesty, and grit, O’Donnell lays bare the complexities of love, infidelity, and friendship. A Symmetry of Husbands is a poetic unfolding of love in all its expressions."
—Amy Neswald (her collection I Know You Love Me, Too is out from New American Press)
Playlist for A SYMMETRY OF HUSBANDS
About PATRICIA O’DONNELL
Patricia O’Donnell lives in the small town of Wilton in central Maine. She has ties to Boston’s North Shore, where the novel is set. She is Professor Emerita in Creative Writing at the University of Maine at Farmington. Her books include a prize-winning collection of short fiction, a memoir, and two previous novels.
