Becoming Nora is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all major retailers.
Nora Stanton had imagined a marriage would wind down gradually. A slow leak, drip by drip, unheeded until the damage couldn’t be ignored, until unhappiness was palpable. It was inconceivable that it could end in a sudden rupture. How had she been so unaware of what simmered underneath the surface of her marriage? Had she ignored the drips?
Until the day her husband shattered her world, she had been sure her life was settled, perfect in fact. At age forty, she and her husband Brad had everything: good careers, a nice house, and two children, just as planned.
When Brad tells her he’s miserable and wants a separation, Nora is forced to face illusions about herself and her seemingly happy and ordinary marriage.
Nora emerges from her shock and grief to recognize hidden aspects of her marriage she had accepted as normal but which she now sees as stifling. In uncovering parts of herself that had become buried, she begins to free herself from the residue of guilt she has carried from childhood.
In the wake of a new relationship, she finds herself making choices the old Nora never could have imagined as she learns to negotiate life on her own terms.
Becoming Nora by Margaret Farrell Kirby is a 2022 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite
In 2020, Becoming Nora was a semi-finalist in the Hidden River Arts Eludia award.
It was the Runner-Up in the 2019 Great Novel Contest sponsored by the Ohio Writers Association and Columbus Publishing Lab.
From one of the contest judges:
Becoming Nora explores the intricacies and complexities of relationships. Through tight prose and exceptional character development, Margaret Kirby reveals how closely our identities are entwined with those we care about the most.
Excerpt of a Review of Becoming Nora by Emma Megan for Readers’ Favorite:
Becoming Nora is a profoundly rich and moving portrait of losing yourself and becoming your own person in equal measure. It’s a gripping story filled with the ups and downs of marriage that’s masterfully constructed. Nora’s development entranced me. This remarkable story explores the cost of not developing a solid identity and not expressing your wants and needs in your marriage. Margaret Farrell Kirby compels us to contemplate the complex dynamics of marriage and family life. Between relatable marriage issues, inspiring character development, and plot twists, this is a book to treasure and share. It especially reminds married women with kids to stop feeling responsible for other people’s happiness or to make things right for everyone.
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