Geraldine Brooks' memoir details how she grieved husband Tony Horwitz's sudden death

It took 3 years for Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks to grieve the death of her husband, acclaimed author and journalist Tony Horwitz. She says she spent those years on the myriad tasks required after a spouse passes away — figuring out insurance and finances and supporting your children in their grief. But that meant going through life feeling like she was putting on a costume to leave the house.

Eventually, the Australian-born Brooks decided to go to the most remote place she knew of: Flinders Island in Tasmania. It was there — without her children, her pets, or her day-to-day responsibilities — that she undertook the hard work of grieving Horwitz's death. She recounts that journey, as well as what she learned, in her new memoir "Memorial Days."

By Geraldine Brooks

Published with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.