The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D.: A Novel

A compelling mystery and a wise meditation on friendship, marriage, and motherhood. -J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of Maine

Summer vacation on Great Rock Island was supposed to be a restorative time for Kate, who’d lost her close friend Elizabeth in a sudden accident. But when she inherits a trunk of Elizabeth’s journals, they reveal a woman far different than the cheerful wife and mother Kate thought she knew.

The complicated portrait of Elizabeth-her troubled upbringing, and her route to marriage and motherhood-makes Kate question not just their friendship, but her own deepest beliefs about loyalty and honesty at a period of uncertainty in her own marriage. When an unfamiliar man’s name appears in the pages, Kate realizes the extent of what she didn’t know about her friend, including where she was really going on the day she died.

The more Kate reads, the more she learns the complicated truth of who Elizabeth really was, and rethinks her own choices as a wife, mother, and professional, and the legacy she herself would want to leave behind.

Now with Extra Libris material, including a reader’s guide and bonus content

Praise for The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D.

An absorbing, bittersweet novel that examines the vast gray area between protecting and deceiving the ones we love. -Vanessa Diffenbaugh, New York Times bestselling author of The Language of Flowers

Bernier’s excellent storytelling skills will keep you pondering long after the final page. -Washington Post

Bernier masterfully eases open the doors that guard our deepest fears and, against a backdrop of a New England beach vacation, sweeps in fresh air and hope. -Parade