“Essayist Waite debuts with a bracing account of her husband’s sudden death and the secrets she unearthed after he was gone. With startling compassion and surprising wit, Waite shows how such an understanding might be achieved. This stirring study of loss and forgiveness isn’t easily forgotten.” -Publishers Weekly STARRED review

“A complex memoir about mourning, mental illness, and shocking revelations. […] A candid, raw chronicle of bereavement.” -Kirkus Reviews

“Shockingly forthright…Waite’s journey is consistently riveting as it moves from grief to rage and searches ultimately for acceptance. She holds nothing back…her disclosures will leave readers gobsmacked and empathetic for her righteous fury. Those who have experienced a significant loss either through death or extreme betrayal will glean comfort and courage from her moving account.” -Booklist

"The experiences of overlooked women are bigger than ever. Need proof? In this powerful memoir, the author is confronted with evidence that her late husband had been living a secret life. While she grieves his death, Waite tries to come to terms with her spouse's deceit and find her own way forward." -Canadian Living

"In this heart-wrenching memoir, widow Jessica discovers her husband’s dark secrets—affairs, drugs, a porn addiction—and deals with the aftermath of his betrayal while building a new life with her son." -Chatelaine

"Jessica Waite is a lavishly gifted writer with a riveting tale to tell. The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards is a page-turning psychological mystery, an inspiring story of endurance, a guide to healing and redemption—and it’s all true. Treat yourself to this book when you’re in the mood for a fascinating, funny, thought-provoking, and inspiring read." -Martha Beck, bestselling author of The Way of Integrity (Oprah’s Book Club)

"When Jessica Waite discovers her husband’s secret infidelities after he unexpectedly dies in a foreign country, she’s rocked to her core. Does this mean she wasn’t “enough”? Shock, anger and revenge propel her through all the stages of grief in a rollicking seesaw of raw emotion until she finally arrives at acceptance. Forgiveness is at the heart of this memoir, but the way she gets there—plucking wisdom from the ashes of her revenge fantasies—is deliciously funny. Multi-layered and brilliantly written, this book is a tour de force!” -Plum Johnson, award-winning author of They Left Us Everything

“Horrifying and yet compulsive, The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards is a memoir that reads like a whodunnit. Waite’s intelligence and sincerity, as she ricochets between revenge and forgiveness, lifts this book above its sordid details into a compelling guide to re-inventing oneself after the devastating loss of a spouse.” -Sandra Martin, award winning author of A Good Death

Jessica Waite's The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards is a hell of a ride. By turns emotional, hilarious, and always very, very human, Waite gives readers access to the secrets that spilled into her lap after her husband's untimely death. Waite masterfully sets an example of how we might honor and cherish departed loved ones who enriched, damaged, and marked our lives forever. You will stay up all night reading this gem. —Christie Tate, NYT bestselling author of The Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life

"For those who've experienced the strange land of intense grief and the crushing revelation of betrayal." —Lauren Carter, award winning author of This Has Nothing to Do With You

“I COULD NOT STOP READING. It’s got all the emotions: Falling in love. Shock. Hope. Rage. Heartbreak. For me, a perfect book about the depths of human love and loss. It is a marvel!” -Sarah Bamford Seidelmann, author of Swimming with Elephants: My Unexpected Pilgrimage from Physician to Healer

"With dark humor and impressive resolve, Waite finds her way back from loss and betrayal to forgiveness. A powerful and inspiring story, this one. Don't miss it." -Martha Jo Atkins, author of Signposts of Dying, founder of Dying School