From the author of Inheriting Edith comes a brave new novel about the intersection of art and grief after the tragic loss of her own husband in 2017.
Mia used to be fun. She was the class clown; a member of the mile high club; the mom who made her sons giggle with her bad British accent and well-placed tickles.
But three years after the death of her husband, there’s no time for that. She’s the only parent they have.
Now, her memoir is out and she has to promote it. But how to sell herself when her heart is still broken? And so her three best friends—Chelsea, Rachel and George—organize her book tour in their respective hometowns. With her father Ira on deck for the boys, Mia sets off on a week-long journey to San Francisco, Chicago, and Atlanta: her hometown.
Although, Mia’s not just going for herself. Armed with her trademark agenda, she plans to fix her friends’ lives as a means of repayment for all they’ve done. And reluctantly visit Judy, her new stepmother, because she has to—not because she wants to. But even the best agenda is often rendered useless by reality, and Mia realizes that the stories she’s been telling herself are just that. Stories.
If she can rewrite who she is now by revisiting who she was then, maybe she can reignite the flame in all of them.
Author Info
Zoe Fishman is the 2020 Georgia Author of the Year. She is the bestselling author of five previous novels and several awards including Booklist’s “Top 10 Books of the Year” and an IndieNext Pick.
She’s been featured on “City Lights” with Lois Reitzes, and in Publisher’s Weekly and The Atlanta Jewish Times among others. Her essays have been published in The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal Constitution and Modern Loss.
Zoe was the Director of The Decatur Writers Studio and a visiting writer at SCAD Atlanta. She lives in Decatur with her two sons.
Reviews
"A delightful reminder that we all deserve more joy in our lives. Zoe Fishman has created an unforgettable protagonist who wrestles with the universal struggle to come to terms with who we are and who we want to be in the face of tragedy. Equal parts touching and poignantly funny, The Fun Widow's Book Tour is a surefire bookclub favorite." — Jo Piazza, bestselling author of Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win
"Tender and real, Fishman’s peek behind the proverbial curtain manages to somehow be heartbreaking and life-affirming both at once. I laughed and I cried, but most of all I finished this luminous novel having learned, along with Mia, that kindness isn’t a commodity, and that art is the one true language of the heart." — Nora McInerny, bestselling author and creator/host of the podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking
"Oh, how I loved The Fun Widow's Book Tour by Zoe Fishman! It’s the sort of book you want to press into the hand of your best friend. Funny and smart and filled with nuggets of truth about life, death, and love, this book feels like a hug from a loved one. I could not put it down." — Brenda Janowitz, author of The Grace Kelly Dress
“A poignant, witty ode to friendship and family.” — People
“The Fun Widow’s Book Tour is a funny, poignant story told in Fishman’s signature warm, breezy voice." — Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Fishman (Invisible As Air, 2019) delivers an engaging novel that is sure to appeal to readers of her previous books as well as to readers who enjoy contemporary fiction by Amy Poeppel, Elizabeth Berg, Emma Straub, and Elinor Lipman, and all stories that feature women relatably navigating uncharted emotional territory with heart and humor." — Booklist
“The characters in Invisible as Air are so real; so flawed; so compelling and vulnerable. With her trademark wit and honesty, even in the face of sorrow, Fishman will take you on a journey you won’t soon forget.” — Greer Hendricks, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of An Anonymous Girl
“Though it speaks to one of the most difficult issues facing our nation with wisdom and deep grace, this is not an ‘issue’ book. This is a book about people, flawed but striving, broken but hopeful. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down.” — Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Never Have I Ever, on Invisible as Air
“With psychological acuity, Fishman...takes us to the place where there is beauty in brokenness, where there is light in the dark, and where we can find intimacy in our honesty...From the first stunning choice to the last, I could not put this novel down.” — Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis, on Invisible as Air
“Fishman (Inheriting Edith, 2016) brings her signature style to a timely topic, illustrating the opioid epidemic in a realistic setting and allowing Sylvie’s choices to speak for themselves...Invisible as Air takes readers on a raw and wild ride. Fans of Liane Moriarty and Jessica Levine especially should take note.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Her writing creeps up on you, like a crescent moon that seems to mysteriously switch sides in the night sky during a drive down a winding highway—taunting, unsettling, beautiful.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Invisible as Air
