While I Was Gone A Novel
While I Was Gone by Sue Miller, published by Random House Publishing Group on May 12, 2000, is a novel that explores the complexities of human nature through the lens of personal history. The story follows Jo Becker, a woman who appears to have a fulfilling life with her three daughters, a loving husband, and a successful career. However, her sense of unease grows when an old housemate reenters her life, prompting Jo to confront memories from her past in a communal house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the dark secrets that linger there.
Readers will find a narrative that delves into themes of secrecy, betrayal, and forgiveness as Jo grapples with her identity and the choices that have shaped her life. The book navigates the tension between her present and past, revealing her complex feelings about her marriage and her reflections on a pivotal summer in 1968. With 304 pages, this edition offers a rich exploration of psychological and literary elements, making it a thoughtful read for those interested in character-driven sagas.
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“Riveting . . . While I Was Gone [celebrates] what is impulsive in human nature.”
–The New York Times
“Miller weaves her themes of secrecy, betrayal, and forgiveness into a narrative that shines.”
–Time
Jo Becker has every reason to be content. She has three dynamic daughters, a loving marriage, and a rewarding career. But she feels a sense of unease. Then an old housemate reappears, sending Jo back to a distant past when she lived in a communal house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Drawn deeper into her memories of that fateful summer in 1968, Jo begins to obsess about the person she once was. As she is pulled farther from her present life, her husband, and her world, Jo struggles against becoming enveloped by her past and its dark secret.
“[While I Was Gone] swoops gracefully between the past and the present, between a woman’s complex feelings about her husband and her equally complex fantasies–and fears–about another man. . . . [Miller writes] well about the trials of faith.”
–The New York Times Book Review
“Quietly gripping . . . Jo shines steadily as the flawed and thoroughly modern heroine. As in her 1986 novel, The Good Mother, Miller shows how impulses can fracture the family.”
–USA Today
“Marvelous . . . poignant . . . powerful.”
–Seattle Times/Post Intelligencer
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