Waiting to Surface [Kindle Edition]

Emily Listfield (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A woman copes with tragedy and the banalities of New York life in Listfield's deeply personal sixth novel. Based on the real-life disappearance of Listfield's husband, the novel revolves around Sarah Larkin, an art lover who actually enjoys her job as an editor at a glossy women's mag. Her alcoholic sculptor husband, Todd, though, is less than happy, and flees the disintegrating marriage, ostensibly to visit an old school friend in Florida. Sarah and their six-year-old daughter, Eliza, await his return, but a phone call from a Florida policeman signals trouble: Todd has been staying with a woman and has been reported as missing. Sarah's life then spreads out into several directions. Most immediate is the investigation into Todd's disappearance (suicide is one theory), with a skeptical cop, a kindly private eye and Todd's ex as its cross-purposed cast. Sarah also navigates infighting among the ambitious and sometimes reptilian magazine staff (who mostly feel like something out of a less ambitious novel) and meets a caring and handsome new love interest. Not all of these subplots work well together, but the through line—Sarah's and Eliza's attempt to find their new normal—does more than its share to carry the book. (Oct.)
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Review

"Listfield deftly balances multiple plots."

-- Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 526 KB
• Print Length: 321 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 141653783X
• Publisher: Atria Books; Reprint edition (October 2, 2007)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000W964AO
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,326 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars powerful family drama, October 3, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Waiting to Surface: A Novel (Hardcover)

Sculptor Todd Larkin travels to Florida to visit his girlfriend. Soon afterward the police call his estranged wife of a decade Manhattan magazine editor Sarah informing her he has disappeared after going for a midnight swim. Apparently his Sunshine State girlfriend let four days lapse before calling the cops.

Although she wonders if Todd is alive, Sarah is more worried for their six years old precious daughter, Eliza who she fears will be permanently traumatized by the apparent tragedy as their child was still struggling with her parents' separation. Still as Sarah tries to be there for Eliza, she takes a chance professionally and personally. She knows she must never forget Todd but she rationalizes that this is for Eliza's sake, but deep in her gut she knows his memory is important to her too.

Based on a true tragedy that happened to the author, WAITING TO SURFACE is a character driven haunting tale that asks what people do to cope and help their preadolescent children adjust when closure is unavailable. The story line grips you from the onset as Sarah struggles three months after Todd vanished with how to help Eliza while ignoring her own grief, which in turn eats at her gut. This powerful family drama shows how much love hurts yet means so much when an unexpected loss occurs.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emotional Tsunami, September 20, 2007

By 

Word Lover (New York, New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Waiting to Surface: A Novel (Hardcover)

Emily Listfield writes from the heart as her heroine, separated from a difficult husband, tries to unravel the mystery of his disappearance and possible death. As Sarah works to balance Manhattan motherhood (the scenes with her young daughter Eliza are the book's most poignant,) the necessity of succeeding at her chic magazine job and ultimately, dating, you will ask yourself what YOU would do in the grip of similar emotional limbo. A well-written and well-paced novel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Compelling Read, September 22, 2007

By 

Fiction Lover (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waiting to Surface: A Novel (Hardcover)

A sensitive and beautifully written story that explores our deepest fear: What if someone you loved disappeared, seemingly vanished off the face of the earth? At once a page-turner with Law & Order like twists and a haunting exploration of what we know--and may never know--about the person we married, this is one of those books you keep thinking about long after you've read the last chapter. Pitch-perfect scenes between the mother and her young daughter and an insider's view of the magazine and art worlds make this a must-read.