A fresh, funny, and wisely observed debut novel about marriage-about the love, longing and ambivalence exposed when a husband takes the baby on a highly unusual outing
When Veronica Reed wakes up one frigid January morning, two things are "off"-first of all, she has had a good night's sleep, which hasn't happened in months, and second, both her husband and her baby are gone. Grateful for the much-needed rest, Veronica doesn't, at first, seriously question her husband's trip out to breakfast with baby Clara. Little does she know, her spouse has fled lower Manhattan, with Clara, for some R&amp;R in the Caribbean. 
Told through alternating points of view, The Sunshine When She's Gone explores the life-changing impact of parenthood on a couple as individuals and as partners. Thea Goodman brings us into intimacies made tense by sleep-deprivation and to losses and gains made more real by acknowledging them. Here is the story of a couple pushed to the edge and a desperate father's attempt give them both space to breathe.

The Sunshine When She's Gone: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Goodman, Thea

United States

Henry Holt and Co.

When Veronica Reed wakes one frigid January morning, two things seem amiss. First, her Manhattan apartment is luxuriously quiet―her husband, John, and the baby, Clara, are out. Secondly, she is rested, having slept through the night for the first time in months. As Veronica goes about her first free morning in what feels like a lifetime, John, racked by sleep deprivation, is fleeing lower Manhattan with Clara for a weekend in the Caribbean. This isn't a kidnapping. It's just that the cozy local diner happened to be closed, and John, wanting to give his wife a break and spend a little time with the baby, took a taxi to the airport and hopped on a plane.
Told through alternating points of view, Thea Goodman's The Sunshine When She's Gone explores one unusual weekend's life-changing impact on a couple, as individuals and as partners. As Veronica revisits the carefree lifestyle she knew before John and the baby, she grapples with the sacrifices of parenthood. Meanwhile, John faces the full responsibilities―and joys―of being father to an infant with whom he has almost never been left alone. John and Veronica nearly lose hold not only of themselves but of each other as they struggle to find their way in this hilarious, eloquent novel about passion, ambivalence, and love.

Picador

One frigid, January morning in Manhattan, a new father, racked by sleep deprivation, decides to let his wife sleep in—then spontaneously flees lower Manhattan with the baby for a weekend in the Caribbean. It wasn’t a kidnapping, he wasn’t leaving his wife; he just wanted to spend a little time with the baby and give his wife a break. When the wife awakes, truly rested for the first time in nearly a year, she feels great—and embarks on a city adventure as misguided in its own way as her husband’s impulsive escape.
Told from the couple’s alternating points of view, the story unfolds across one life-changing long weekend. The wife tries to recapture who she was before the baby. The husband struggles to care for his daughter—far from the special homemade formula and high-end diapers she requires. Parenting had seemed like such a doable idea—until they tried to do it. Lucky, highly educated Americans, this couple barely survives making the first real sacrifice of their lives. But survive it they do, in a hilarious, touching, tour de force debut about passion, ambivalence, and love.
“Thea Goodman’s astute debut novel poses the question, What if you were to step out of your embedded life? And her discerning mind answers it with a tale of Manhattanites more inextricably bound together than they might imagine.” —Susan Minot, author of Evening
“From its first alarming domestic scene to its far-from-inevitable, unbearably true conclusion, The Sunshine When She’s Gone is a faultless portrait of a marriage in crisis and the precarious paths we all must take to keep our lives in balance. Ever been in love? This book will shake you, jolt you, wake you up to life.” —Patrick Sommerville, author of The Cradle and This Bright River
“Thea Goodman has made something I would’ve thought impossible: an edge-of-your-seat narrative about parenting a small child. Her emotional investment in her characters is complete as they confront each other, themselves, and the heavy weight of new love.” —Nell Freudenberger, author of The Newlyweds

Literary

BRILLIANCE AUDIO ^

One frigid, January morning in Manhattan, a new father, racked by sleep deprivation, decides to let his wife sleep in—then spontaneously flees lower Manhattan with the baby for a weekend in the Caribbean. It wasn’t a kidnapping, he wasn’t leaving his wife; he just wanted to spend a little time with the baby and give his wife a break. When the wife awakes, truly rested for the first time in nearly a year, she feels great—and embarks on a city adventure as misguided in its own way as her husband’s impulsive escape.Told from the couple’s alternating points of view, the story unfolds across one life-changing long weekend. The wife tries to recapture who she was before the baby. The husband struggles to care for his daughter—far from the special homemade formula and high-end diapers she requires. Parenting had seemed like such a doable idea—until they tried to do it. Lucky, highly educated Americans, this couple barely survives making the first real sacrifice of their lives. But survive it they do, in a hilarious, touching, tour de force debut about passion, ambivalence, and love.“Thea Goodman’s astute debut novel poses the question, What if you were to step out of your embedded life? And her discerning mind answers it with a tale of Manhattanites more inextricably bound together than they might imagine.” —Susan Minot, author of Evening“From its first alarming domestic scene to its far-from-inevitable, unbearably true conclusion, The Sunshine When She’s Gone is a faultless portrait of a marriage in crisis and the precarious paths we all must take to keep our lives in balance. Ever been in love? This book will shake you, jolt you, wake you up to life.” —Patrick Sommerville, author of The Cradle and This Bright River“Thea Goodman has made something I would’ve thought impossible: an edge-of-your-seat narrative about parenting a small child. Her emotional investment in her characters is complete as they confront each other, themselves, and the heavy weight of new love.” —Nell Freudenberger, author of The Newlyweds

The Sunshine When She's Gone

The Invented Mother (New Women's Voices)

Poetry

Finishing Line Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Goodman, Thea. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Goodman, Thea

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Goodman, Thea. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Sunshine When She's Gone: A Novel

The Sunshine When She's Gone: A Novel

The Sunshine When She's Gone: A Novel

The Sunshine When She's Gone: A Novel

The Sunshine When She's Gone

The Invented Mother (New Women's Voices)