Additional Praise for

The Obituary Writer

“The Obituary Writer is an engrossing book, drawing you in from page one. I admire this graceful and intimate writer for her literary sleight of hand: you don’t so much read about her characters as you inhabit them. Reading this book, I felt acutely the sadness of loss, the deliciousness of gossip among a group of women friends, the frustration of miscommunication in marriage, the joys of sensuality. Creating such empathy on the part of a reader isn’t easy: Ann Hood just makes it look that way. That’s a gift, and we readers are the lucky recipients.”

—Elizabeth Berg

“It is a rare novelist who can summon the creative nerve to plumb the depths of grief, but that’s just what Ann Hood does here with such compassion and grace. The Obituary Writer is an unflinching exploration of loss and the love that somehow remains, one that both wounds and heals. This is a deeply engaging and moving book.”

—Andre Dubus III

“In this poignant and incisive novel, Ann Hood brings history back to life in the most intimate way, chronicling the love affairs and heartbreaks of two very different women in two very different times. Moving gracefully and persuasively between post-earthquake San Francisco and the early 1960s, The Obituary Writer makes unexpected connections between these two bygone eras, and in the process, manages to illuminate the present as well as the past.”

—Tom Perrotta

“Hood artfully blends two stories that converge in an emotional, poignant ending. . . . A well-constructed story leading readers from secrets of the past toward illuminating truths of the present.”

—Library Journal, starred review

“Hood’s language is fine and supple, the settings are lusciously rendered, the melancholy air is seductive. . . . Her intricate inquiry into grief, guilt, and love is haunting.”

—Booklist

“Engaging, detail-packed. . . . Hood’s fluent storytelling and empathy will ensure popularity.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Combining the love and longing of two women, Hood has created a truly different and complex novel, filling her characters with depth and passion.”

—CurledUp.com

“Compelling. . . . Sensitively explores the complicated web of emotions associated with love, marriage, motherhood and the myriad expectations all women encounter.”

—BookPage