In Wald’s novel, the spirit of a recently deceased psychology professor looks back on his life and career, the women he loved, and the tumor that killed him.When Jack MacLeod died, he “expected to have the mysteries of the universe open up to me like water lilies in the sunlight, but, alas, that isn’t what happened at all.” Despite his demise, he’s still contemplating his life as a 40-ish, bespectacled, unhappily married professor at a New Jersey college. At the end of his time on Earth, he was suffering from a benign but inoperable brain tumor. Stoic and in a somber environment, Jack was always happy to see Eliza, a quiet, determined student.At the same time, his marriage was ending, as his wife, Frances, never thought he was ever rich or successful enough. As Jack deteriorated, he had some regrets: He wished that he’d known his two sons better and that he could have pursued an extramarital affair with Eliza. He also ruminated about Wally Mussel, the despicable head of the psychology department—a grotesque beast of a man who may be blackmailing someone and is likely responsible for worse offenses. His reign of terror also began to directly affect Jack’s life, but he hatched a secret plan with a beloved colleague to expose Mussel for what he was. Wald’s evocative novel manages to deftly capture the mood and myriad voices of the academic world; however, it also narrows its focus to delve deeply into the sensitive mind of its introspective protagonist. Jack is certainly an intelligent, if somewhat sedate, man, and his varied experiences with three different women are depicted out of sequence by a writer who understands timing as much as she does a beautifully crafted sentence. Jack’s life is a serious and pensive one, and it doesn’t end well, but there are flashes of dark humor over the course of the narrative that make it very appealing.

A compelling, challenging, and utterly gripping tale…

In this evocative, and at times rueful tale, Wald draws readers deep into one man’s journey to forgiveness, acceptance, and redemption. Jack MacLeod looks back on his life after his early death, taking readers into interrelated tales of his early childhood and teen years as an intellectually gifted child participating in a research study and his successful career as a clinical psychologist and university professor. Struggling with a major life-threatening illness and his unhappy marriage, Jack meets Eliza, one of his students, and embarks on a brief but life-altering affair. His intimate relationship with a colleague brings him face to face with Wally Mussel, the head of the psychology department and a dreadful bully, who finds pleasure in making others’ life a living hell. Jack takes it upon himself to set the man straight. Wald fills her imaginative tale with splendid language and convincing romantic complications. The academic world of the New Jersey college is vividly drawn, and the petty politics the members of the staff unwittingly become a part of is authentic and palpable. Wald’s prose is lush, and she beautifully humanizes her characters, particularly Jack, detailing his restless childhood as a gifted child, extended bouts of boredom as he moves from one interest to another throughout his teens and young adult years, his extramarital affairs, his endearing friendship with Donald Rath, and risky approach to his deteriorating health. Evocative philosophical questions reveal Wald’s powers, as Jack comes to terms with his own failures and also finds acceptance and forgiveness in his heart. Gripping and deep, Jack’s story not only speaks to the reader’s head but also their heart. Wald is an author to watch.