"A deep look into feelings and relationships."

It's not what you would expect of Carl. It's certainly not what his wife, Olivia, has come to know about him. But one day, in the midst of their "perfect" life, Carl goes to work and doesn't come home. His disappearance creates an explosive disturbance in a world that had been dependable and stable.

Olivia is left questioning the life she and Carl have created, delving deep into her own feelings about who she has become and who she is in relationship to her husband. How do you put things back together when everything you knew about someone comes into question? Can you learn to trust yourself again? More importantly, can you ever trust that person again?

Ms. Gertler has a beautiful gift that brings the myriad feelings of life relationships into clearer focus. Her books help us look at who we are, knitting all the pieces of the book into the cozy or uncomfortable sweaters that we wear in our daily lives. I am always challenged to open my eyes to the fact that the world is not black and white, but beautiful shades of gray after reading a book like THE WINDMILL. Carl's journey opens a vista of could haves and should haves that will make you look at your past differently. I highly recommend this book.

Reviewed by Morgan Chilson
Posted October 20, 2004

Summary

From the author of Jimmy's Girl—a writer who "hits the emotional bull's-eye dead center" (Baton Rouge Advocate)— comes a new novel that will remind us all that sometimes you don't know how much you have until it's gone. Known for her gift for reaching straight to the heart, Stephanie Gertler now tells the story of a couple whose seemingly perfect life is toppled in an instant and saved through their bold leap of faith. Olivia and Carl appear to have the perfect life: a son and a daughter, weekends on Cape Cod, and satisfying work as professors at Belvedere College in the picturesque town of Willow, Massachusetts. Until, one day, the seemingly stable, dependable Carl disappears without a trace— leaving behind only a cryptic note. Alone and terrified, Olivia cannot help but relive the long-buried pain she felt when she lost her first husband. While Carl travels back to his childhood hometown to confront the demons he has always hidden from his wife, Olivia takes a journey of her own as she tries to make peace with the memories that have always haunted her. Told with graceful skill and unflinching honesty, The Windmill is a story of the secrets we are entitled to keep in a marriage and those we must share— marking a splendid new level of achievement in this much- admired author.