BOOK REVIEW - 'The Drummer's Widow'

One of the toughest things in life is not just finding someone to love and holding onto that person, but rather finding a way to live your life when that person is gone. Joanna Fitzpatrick explores this concept in the groundbreaking new novel, The Drummer's Widow. Coming in on the life of Marissa, an older woman who's husband Jules, a jazz musician, passes away. Trying to find a way to cope with the void left in her life with his passing, Marissa reviews grief memoirs on her blog, edits gaudy bodice-rippers, and visits with her son and friends in New York City, all while trying to keep her husband's memory alive by speaking to his empty chair as if he were there, allowing the Jules in her mind to guide her through life. When the rent in her apartment gets to be too high, Marissa seeks out tenants to live with her and help pay the bills. Enter Martin and Cassandra. Martin is a Midwestern boy looking to make it as a jazz musician, and Cassandra is an art student working as a bartender. Each of the new tenants comes to care for each other and Marissa as time goes by, but each is also harboring a secret about their past. Their secrets are complicated and messy, but by learning to rely on one another, they slowly begin to learn to come to terms with their past, and in so doing give Marissa a purpose not focused on her husband or his passing. Whether it's facing down tough board members running the building of the apartment, or navigating the complicated world of the music industry, Marissa, Cassandra and Martin become friends, and help each other to discover how to overcome adversity. The Drummer's Widow is a must have drama novel that excels at painting a picture for the audience. Joanna Fitzpatrick does a masterful job of drawing the reader further and further into the complicated lives of these enduring characters, and through their struggle, gives insight into the daily struggle to overcome life's unrelenting struggles. This is a fantastic read, and garners 10 out of 10 guitars on the magazine's rating system.