QC Reads 2014
The Obituary Writer
by Ann Hood
A sophisticated and suspenseful novel about the poignant lives of two women living in different eras.
On the day John F. Kennedy is inaugurated, Claire, an uncompromising young wife and mother obsessed with the glamour of Jackie O, struggles over the decision of whether to stay in a loveless marriage or follow the man she loves and whose baby she may be carrying. Decades earlier, in 1919, Vivien Lowe, an obituary writer, is searching for her lover who disappeared in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. By telling the stories of the dead, Vivien not only helps others cope with their grief but also begins to understand the devastation of her own terrible loss. The surprising connection between Claire and Vivien will change the life of one of them in unexpected and extraordinary ways. Part literary mystery and part love story, The Obituary Writer examines expectations of marriage and love, the roles of wives and mothers, and the emotions of grief, regret, and hope.
Reading Group Guide
RI Public Radio interview with Scott Mackay
About the author
Ann Hood was born in West Warwick, Rhode Island. She grew up with stories of her father’s travels around the world during his 20 years in the Navy. These stories inspired her to become a flight attendant for TWA after receiving her BA in English from the University of Rhode Island. She lived in Boston and St. Louis before moving to New York City, where she attended graduate school at NYU in American Literature.
During a furlough from TWA, she worked at the Spring Street Bookstore in Soho and slung ribs at Tony Roma’s while writing her first novel, SOMEWHERE OFF THE COAST OF MAINE. Back to work on international flights, she often wrote on the long subway ride to JFK and in the galleys of 747s while the passengers slept. In 1987, SOMEWHERE OFF THE COAST OF MAINE was published by Bantam Books as one of the launch books for their original paperback series, Bantam New Fiction.
When TWA went on strike and the flight attendants were all “replaced”, Ann found herself suddenly a full time writer. Soon, she was publishing essays and short stories in The Washington Post, Mademoiselle, Redbook, Story, and many other magazines. At various times over the years, she has had regular columns in Self, Glamour, New Woman, and Parenting.
Her essays and short stories have appeared in GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, THE NEW YORK TIMES, LADIES HOME JOURNAL, MORE, TIN HOUSE, PLOUGHSHARES, and THE PARIS REVIEW. Ann has won a Best American Spiritual Writing Award, the Paul Bowles Prize for Short Fiction, and two Pushcart Prizes. She now lives in Providence, RI with her husband and their children.
Other Books by Ann Hood:
