Gus In Bronze

A fierce, tender portrait of marriage, motherhood, and the quiet grace of a family holding tight to every remaining hour.

At the center of this "straight-to-the-gut" (Publishers Weekly) novel is strong, lovely Augusta—Gus—wife and mother of three children, who is dying of cancer. Returning from the hospital to her Manhattan apartment, she gathers her family close, sharing the comforting routines of home.

In her last weeks she sits for a sculptor capturing her spirit in bronze—a brave final gesture for her young family. As the clay portrait takes shape at her bedside, her daughters hover near with their drawings—a quiet tribute to her vibrant spirit.

Her husband Andreas tends to her with steadfast care—devotedly filling their bedroom with piano music and loving memories. Playing Scarlatti sonatas and sharing bedtime stories with their toddler son, they anchor these days in the solace of family.

"Above all, this poetic story is about the small, strange, and important ways people have of expressing love" (Christian Science Monitor).

• Family Drama: Gus’s surgeon brother Christopher and mercurial sister Mimi arrive for an emotional Thanksgiving reunion, reviving childhood theater games while confronting their sister’s diagnosis.


• Sibling Dynamics: Thirteen-year-old Maya channels her sorrow into black-and-white photography, while her older sister Daphni seeks refuge in gourmet cooking and dramatic declarations.


• Domestic Fiction: Drawing on her past as a Martha Graham dancer, Gus observes her changing body with clear-eyed honesty, supported by old friends and visits to their windswept Cape Cod retreat.


• Also by This Author: The Court of Common Pleas and Something Borrowed.