How to Talk a Widower

Doug Parker is a widower at age twenty-nine, and in his quiet town, that makes him the object of sympathy, curiosity, and in some cases even unbridled desire. But Doug has more urgent things on his mind, such as his sixteen-year-old stepson, Russ, a once-sweet kid who is now getting into increasingly serious trouble. As Doug starts dipping his toes into the shark-infested waters of the second-time-around dating scene, it isn’t long before his new life is spinning hopelessly out of control, cutting a harrowing and often humorous swath of sexual missteps and escalating chaos across a suburban landscape. is a stunning novel of love, lust, and loss that hails as “hilarious but emotion-packed.” “[A] winning tale about a man raising his stepson after his wife dies.” “Part of charm is that there’s no happily ever after, no Cinderella-catches-the-fella ending.” “A mixture of mourning and mockery . . . surprisingly moving.”