The Widow’s Watcher

The Widow’s Watcher has a refreshingly original storyline.  It deals with the aftermath of loss, both short term and long term.  The author shows us how two people, each racked with guilt over a devastating loss, can help each other and pave a path for possible redemption. There is little to laugh about in The Widow’s Watcher, yet the characters and the story in this poignant drama will just draw you in and make you care!

The Characters and Story of The Widow’s Watcher

The two main characters, Lars Jorgensen and Jenna Shaw – both protagonists – could not be more different. One is male, the other female. One is old, the other middle-aged. One suffers from loss from years earlier, and the other a recent tragedy. When they first meet, quite accidentally, they can’t agree on anything. Due to an automobile breakdown and a somewhat remote location, they end up spending the next few weeks together under one roof. As they very slowly get to know each other, they realize they share a profound bond: tragic loss. In different ways, they each blame themselves for either their loss or their unwanted survival.

I think there are enough flaws in these two characters that each of us can relate to them in some way. I love a good character-driven story! Don’t you?

As the story progresses, a surprising friendship forms. Jenna shows an interest in Lars’s mysterious past, and local law enforcement reopens the cold case. Down the literary rabbit hole we go, and the conflict relentlessly builds all the way to the climax!

Technically Speaking

I didn’t notice many SPAG errors in this book. Great job to all involved in the editing.

If you’re partial to great character arcs in a novel, this one is for you! The changes in both of these characters between the first and last pages are pretty dramatic, yet believable. They don’t change on the outside, of course, but inside, down deep, the changes are profound.  I can’t tell you what the changes are, of course. You’ll have to read it for yourself.

There were enough switchbacks in the plot to satisfy my need for action in a story, and the author kept my interest from beginning to end. I previously reviewed Eliza Maxwell’s The Unremembered Girl, and the pacing in this story was similar. There will come a time, about two-thirds through the story, when you just can’t stop reading! In my case, I would only stop when my eyes could no longer stay open.

Eliza Maxwell is a very talented writer who obviously knows her craft inside and out. I look forward to reading more stories by Eliza Maxwell!