Married to a charismatic, charming writer who adored her, Julie Metz and their young daughter lived in a beautiful home in an idyllic (if somewhat provincial) small town outside New York City. Her husband had just begun work on a food book on the topic of Umami, the Japanese idea of perfection, when he dropped dead on her kitchen floor from an embolism. Widowed at 44, Metz was suddenly a single mother with bills to pay and a daughter to raise on her own.
Then, six months later, still grieving, she discovered her husband of twelve years had had a string of affairs - including a continuing relationship with a woman whom she considered a close friend. This incredible blow forced her to confront what was underneath the perfect veneer of her life and question this idea of perfection.
The memoir is a story of coming to terms with painful truths, and of rebuilding both a life and an identity after betrayal and widowhood. Ultimately, it is a story of rebirth and happiness, if not perfection.
