Ann Packer’s Some Bright Nowhere is the latest selection for Oprah Winfrey’s popular book club.
Packer’s novel, published Tuesday by Harper, tells the story of Eliot, who’s been taking care of his wife, Claire, as she battles cancer. He is shocked when Claire tells him that she wants her two best friends, and not him, to look after her in her final days. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called the book “harrowing, but brilliant.”
Winfrey announced the book’s selection on CBS Mornings. “When I called Ann, I was like, I'm choosing this book because I'm fascinated by the theme, but I'm very annoyed by the lead character. I am telling you, I'm very annoyed, but I'm choosing it anyway.”
Winfrey said that one of her producers told her that having friends, and not spouses, take care of dying people has become a “trend,” and Packer nodded in agreement. “When I first heard about this happening, it was almost 20 years ago, and it was just sort of someone mentioning, Oh, there's this woman and this happened, and I just went, Wow, what?” Packer said. “I got the idea, the sort of appeal of women taking care of women.”
CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King told Packer that she sympathized with Eliot and asked why he and Claire’s friends couldn’t take care of her together.
“Well, there wouldn’t be a book,” Packer responded, to laughter.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
