title: A Wake
author: Yungblut, Andrea
description: A Wake is a compelling, fast-paced novel about loss, grieving and revenge. It is the story of Clarice Forrest, a middle-aged woman who several years earlier suffered a devastating loss and is now at the point of near madness. By chance, Clarice meets up with the man she blames for the tragedy in her life, Richard Mason, an editor of a gardening magazine in the small Ontario town of Hope. Following him to his house, watching his every movement, and repeatedly stealing his mail, Clarice finally conceives of the perfect plan for revenge. It isn't until she and Richard actually meet and get to know each other, that Clarice becomes inextricably linked to him in ways she could never have foreseen. Finally stumbling on the true story of Richard's past, Clarice is forced to choose between her plans for revenge and coming to terms with her own guilt. Skillfully written, compassionate and powerful, A Wake is a fascinating story about the strength of human love, the frailty of the human spirit, and the struggle of the individual to exist in an implacable universe.