The Wives: A Memoir

Journalist Gorrindo meditates in her powerfully candid debut on the good, bad, and ugly of military marriage. When Gorrindo’s boyfriend, Andrew, announced in 2007 that he’d been thinking about enlisting in the Army since shortly after 9/11, she wasn’t sure she could handle being an Army wife. She married him anyway, and soon after their wedding, the couple moved from New York City to Columbus, Ga., where Andrew began basic training at Fort Benning. After he completed Ranger School, Andrew embarked on a series of deployments in Afghanistan, and Gorrindo struggled to contend with his absences. She found solace in other military wives in Columbus, who surprised her with their warmth and grit. Gorrindo writes lyrically and unsparingly about the difficulties of life as a military spouse (“People told us, from time to time, that we knew what we were ‘signing up for.’ But who really knows what she is signing up for?”), highlighting the loneliness and fear of widowhood that permeated her and her friends’ daily routines. She offers plenty of joy as well, from tender passages about giving birth to her daughter, Fiona, to moving, unsentimental sections about finding camaraderie within her diverse group of Columbus friends. It’s a haunting, beautifully written celebration of found sisterhood. Agent: Michelle Brower, Aevitas Creative Management. (Apr.)