Just Jennifer

Saturday Night Widows by Becky Aikman (Crown, January 2013)

New York Newsday writer Becky Aikman found herself widowed at the age of forty-four when her husband died after a four-year battle with cancer.  Bernie was also a writer, someone with whom Becky shared not only her personal life, but her professional life, and is now not sure how to live her life and deal with her sadness and grief.  Traditional support groups do not work for Becky as many of the women are older and demonstrate a lot of anger toward Becky who is looking how to move on, not forgetting her husband, but living the rest of her life.  Becky assembles a group of women between the ages of forty and fifty-seven who have all recently lost their husbands: some to illness, one to suicide, one from the effects of alcoholism, but all unexpectedly; some of them have young children, some older children, some none, but all are interested in grieving their losses and living their lives as strong, independent women, and possibly finding a new person with whom to share the next part of their life, now, navigating the minefields that come with an older relationship, children, jobs and lives in other areas.  Through dinners together, a spa weekend, a lingerie shopping spree and finally a trip to Morocco, these strangers form a unique bond, laugh, cry and heal.  Becky Aikman tells her story, and those of her newly found friends, with humor and frankness as she navigates grief, which she learns does not necessarily come in nice neat stages, and offers support and hope for anyone dealing with life altering changes.