Remedies by Kate Ledger

From the Publisher

A captivating new voice in women's fiction delves into the haunted past of a physician's seemingly perfect marriage.

Simon and Emily Bear look like a couple that has it all. Simon is a respected doctor. His wife, Emily, shines as a partner in a premier public relations firm. But their marriage is scarred by hidden wounds. Even as Simon tends his patients' ills, and Emily spins away her clients' mistakes, they can't seem to do the same for themselves or their relationship.

Simon becomes convinced he's discovered a cure for chronic pain, a finding that could become a medical breakthrough, yet he is oblivious to the pain that he causes at home. Emily, struggling to move beyond the devastating loss she and Simon suffered fifteen years earlier, realizes she hasn't felt anything for a long time-that is, until a lover from her past resurfaces and forces her to examine her marriage anew.

In a debut novel on par with today's top women writers, Remedies explores the complicated facets of pain, in the nerves of the body and the longings of the heart. Depicting modern-day marriage with a razor-sharp eye, Remedies is about what it takes, as an individual and as a couple, to recover from profound loss.

Publishers Weekly

Ledger's accomplished debut offers a compelling view of married life through the prism of unacknowledged grief. Baltimore physician Simon Bear is a confident, magnanimous man with an inflated view of himself and his abilities. His wife, Emily, a star public relations executive, handles corporate crises with an ease, but can't find a way to connect with their moody adolescent daughter, Jamie. While the Bears outwardly appear an enviably successful couple, neither Simon nor Emily has ever resolved the tragic and early death of their firstborn. Simon buries himself in work and with all-consuming hobbies (his latest is winemaking). Emily, too, is consumed by work, though she's privately devastated about her shortcomings as a mother and tempted by another man. Jamie, meanwhile, presses her mother's buttons, knowing she can never make up for the loss of the dead brother she never knew. Ledger follows the trajectory from achievement to failure with rare insight, suggesting that it is through Jamie that Simon and Emily can find redemption. An impressive portrait of a family in crisis, executed with finesse and assurance. (Aug.)

Kirkus Reviews

Debut novel by a former medical writer examines the challenges of healing injuries both mental and physical. Simon Bear is a towering man filled with confidence and good will. His patients adore him (he proudly keeps a file of their thank-you letters) and refer to him as Dr. Feelgood for his willingness to prescribe narcotics. The novel opens as he gives an orientation to a nurse he's just hired; Ledger juxtaposes Simon's eager, magnanimous approach to practicing medicine with the nurse's pinched disapproval of his arrogant disregard for conventional guidelines. Wife Emily is a powerhouse in public relations, but neither spouse seems able to transfer professional success to parenting-13-year-old Jamie is sulky and often alone in their Baltimore mansion. Simon's obsessive desire to alleviate suffering and Emily's iciness with Jamie can be traced back to the death of six-week-old Caleb 15 years earlier. The baby died of meningitis, Simon was unable to save his son and Emily is unable to heal; the couple's personal life is a silence-riddled mess. When Simon stumbles upon a cure for chronic pain that is non-addictive and has few side effects, he sees his chance at redemption for himself and his patients, as well as a means of luring Emily back to their marriage. But it's too late. Emily has begun an affair with an old boyfriend, the antithesis of Simon, who allows her to forget the pain of Caleb's death and return to a time when the future was unwritten. Ledger makes medical science interesting and accessible, but her triumph is the creation of Simon, a deeply flawed and magnetic character. Complex, nuanced and engrossing portrait of a doctor's life. Agent: Lisa Bankoff/ICM

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