Planet Claire

Can we ever understand the place a spouse holds in our lives? Often, that understanding comes only after the sudden and terrible loss of that person. Jeff Porter's wife, as it turned out, was the planet around which his life, in some ways, orbited. Her sudden death threw him into outer space, careening into memories, unmoored and trying to make sense of the un-sensible. His attempt to grapple with how his life would go forward without its center point led him to unexpected reaches of his own inner self. In an ongoing conversation with the brilliant, loving and solid person his wife had been, he must come face to face with what he did, didn't do and could never change about their relationship. Still in love with her, he kept the conversation going by writing Planet Claire, a memoir about his loss and the power of their life together.