In THE HOUSE OF HADES, Rick Riordan wrote that “[d]eath is sometimes kinder than love.” He wasn’t writing about the complicated end-of-life decisions in a marriage when he penned that sentence, but still it resonates upon reading Ann Packer’s long-awaited new novel, SOME BRIGHT NOWHERE. The tale of a marriage ending not by divorce but by death, the book explores the last months that Eliot spends with --- and without --- his wife, Claire, as she seeks comfort and meaning. 

"SOME BRIGHT NOWHERE is heavy but not saccharine.... Ann Packer has crafted a compelling, though really dark, novel about care and caregiving in the face of ultimate loss."

Claire has been fighting cancer for eight years, but now she is moving into hospice care and preparing for the end. Eliot, her husband of nearly 40 years, has been by her side through it all. Now, as Eliot and Claire, and their adult children, Josh and Abby, consider how to make Claire as comfortable as possible as her pain increases, she has an unexpected and confusing request. She would like Eliot to move out of their home, make himself scarce, and allow her to die in the company of her two best friends, Holly and Michelle. Her family is blindsided and upset, not in the least Eliot himself. He doesn’t understand why Claire wants him gone and what this decision means about their past. He reluctantly leaves but finds himself at loose ends. He is lonely, mad and trying to make sense of things. 

Months go by, and Eliot rarely sees Claire. Holly and Michelle have moved into the family home, while Eliot stays at Holly’s house, growing increasingly resentful and uncertain. When he does visit his wife, he feels like an unwelcome guest and on the outside of the trio of Claire and her friends. He is not above spying on them, but nothing alleviates his turmoil, even as he tries to respect and honor her dying wishes. Through it all, he reflects on his life with Claire, how he parented Josh and Abby, and his own emotional world. 

The novel moves, sometimes line by line, between the present day as Eliot wrestles with Claire’s decision and his ruminations on the past. At times this can result (especially at the start of the book) in a choppy narrative. However, readers will find themselves invested in Eliot’s experiences, even though --- or perhaps because --- his actions and responses don’t always make logical sense. Claire’s own choice to spend her last days with her friends instead of her family also may strike readers as challenging at best and cruel and selfish at worst. But this is the tension that Packer seems to be interested in as she navigates these difficult emotional waters. 

SOME BRIGHT NOWHERE is heavy but not saccharine. While the story is about Eliot and how he deals with the impending death of his wife, the book examines universal themes of loss, partnership and pain. There are no shining or even likable characters here. Each is flawed, short-sighted, stubborn and sometimes mean. Yet imperfect characters can make for good reading. Ann Packer has crafted a compelling, though really dark, novel about care and caregiving in the face of ultimate loss.