Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

The bestselling, beloved author returns with her first novel in over a decade, an intimate and profoundly moving look at a long marriage and the ways in which a startling request can change a couple’s understanding of who they are, together and apart.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site.  A free book was provided for an honest review.

November 2025; Harper; 978-0063421493
audio, ebook, print (256 pages); literary fiction

Eliot and Clare have been married for almost 40 years.  They've raised two children in their small town.  Their marriage has had its ups and downs, but they both know that they love each other.  

The novel begins 8 years after Clare was first diagnosed with cancer.  During those 8 years, Eliot has taken on the job of being her full-time caregiver, and he feels that it's the least he can do for his wife.  Now, after 8 years, the oncologist has told them that there is nothing more they can do and that Clare's death is quickly approaching.  As they begin to focus on Clare's final days, she asks him for something that breaks his heart.  Clare wants Eliot to move out of their home so that she can spend her final days with her best friends. He struggles with her request because he feels that he should be her major caregiver, but eventually, he agrees with her request.  Agreeing has caused so much confusion in his life - he wants her death to be meaningful, but he feels like he has devoted his life to making her happy, and he is heartbroken over her request. As he looks back over their life together, he begins to question his history as a husband and father.  

The story is told from Eliot's point of view, so the reader sees his pain and confusion as Clare goes into her final weeks and days.  Emotionally vibrant and complex, Some Bright Nowhere explores the profound gifts and unexpected costs of truly loving someone, and the fears and desires we experience as the end of life draws near.

It seems strange to say that I loved this book even though it was a very sad book about death.  It was very heavy, and I had to put it down several times, but in the end I realized that it was a beautifully written novel about something that we all have to face.  It was emotional, and I'll admit that it brought me to tears several times, but it was a beautiful picture of a husband and wife dealing with death as it crept closer, still holding on to the love that they have for each other.

some bright nowhere

of broad fields and sunlight

that was my idea of heaven

(from a poem by Christian Wiman)

NOTE:  Some Bright Nowhere is Oprah's November Book Club Pick.

Buy Some Bright Nowhere at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

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