A Symmetry of Husbands probes the jealousy and betrayal that hide in a life-long friendship. The novel takes its title from a poem read by Douglas Adams at the funeral of his wife Megan, who has died from complications of MS. He also reads, "Grief wrongs us so. I stand, and wait, and cry for the absurd forgiveness, not knowing why." Abigail, Megan's friend and caretaker on Boston's North Shore, has an idea why Douglas might ask for Megan's forgiveness. It's the reason Abigail herself might also ask forgiveness of both Megan and of Abigail's husband, James; neither Megan nor James knew about the affair between Douglas and Abigail. In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, as Abigail grieves for her friend and worries about the dangers of a Trump presidency, she becomes suspicious of the circumstances of her friend's death. Perhaps Douglas—and Abigail herself—need forgiveness for more than she previously knew.
From "Bushnell on Books: "A masterful storyteller, O’Donnell reveals that no one really knows what goes on in someone else’s marriage."
Amy Newswald, author of I Know You Love Me, Too, writes: Patricia O’Donnell writes unfailingly about the rawness of human relationships with this investigation of contradiction, grief, hope, and memory. With her sparse prose, stark honesty, and grit, O’Donnell lays bare the complexities of love, infidelity, and friendship. A Symmetry of Husbands is a poetic unfolding of love in all its expressions."
