Gone by Cathi Hanauer

Amazon - For the past fourteen years, Eve Adams has worked part-time while raising her two children and emotionally supporting her sculptor husband, Eric, through his early fame and success. Now, at forty-two, she suddenly finds herself with a growing career of her own—a private nutritionist practice and a book deal—even as Eric’s career sinks deeper into the slump it slipped into a few years ago.


After a dinner at a local restaurant to celebrate Eve’s success, Eric drives the babysitter home and, simply, doesn’t come back. Eve must now shift the family in possibly irreparable ways, forcing her to realize that competence in one area of life doesn’t always keep things from unraveling in another.


Gone is an outstanding novel about change and about redefining, in middle age, everything from one’s marriage to one’s career to one’s role as a best friend, parent, and spouse. It is a novel about passion and forgiveness and knowing when to let something go and when to fight to hold on to it, about learning to say goodbye—but, if you’re lucky, not forever.

Simply an amazing book! Gone is a story about marriage, family and finding yourself.  Cathi has done a remarkable job of character depiction - they seem so real, I can imagine them living next door.  What a nightmare for any woman to think your husband has run off with the babysitter!

Gone is told from both points of view, Eric's and Eve's. Although the pace is slow, it's intricacies are the foundation for the instability of the marriage and how Eve and Eric work on not only trying to save their marriage, but to save a bit of their souls.

Eve is a nutrionist and it really was a bit overboard in that aspect with all of her advice, but I found most of it educational.  The dialogue, thoughts and actions of their two children seemed real, as they and Eve move on with their lives without Eric.  I actually hated to see it end.  Cathi writes with such openness, perception and tenacity.  With middle age starting to creep upon me, as well as the idea of my kids moving out in the next year or two, I could easily relate to many issues within this fantastic tale.  If you haven't read anything by Cathi Hanauer yet, you've been missing out! 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.