Shine On, Bright & Dangerous Object, by Laurie Colwin

From the critically acclaimed author of Happy All the Time and Home Cooking, a wise and witty tale of a woman struggling to overcome her grief and find her future

When Sam Bax, a charming daredevil of a Boston lawyer, sails his boat into a storm off the coast of Maine, Elizabeth “Olly” Bax, his wife, is widowed at twenty-seven. With no pretense of courage, and a vague dislike for what she feels is the cheap availability of her emotions, Olly grieves the husband she probably would have divorced, while coping with the warmth and awkwardness of family trying (and failing) to distract her from their own grief. As she learns to rethink her life and her love, she becomes close to Sam’s brother, Patrick—and begins to realize Sam’s recklessness and passion may not be as foreign to her as she thought.  

     Laurie Colwin depicts Olly—the “More Life Widow of the More Life Kid”—with humor, compassion, and a decided lack of sentimentality, creating a real heroine who tries to remain true to her heart while keeping her head.