Though this book is written as a memoir, at its core, Things That Linger is a love story about two people who met during the late days of the sex, drugs and rock-and-role era, and fell passionately and madly in love. Though there was a moment early in their life together when it could have all fallen apart - love prevailed. The first chapters take the reader up close and personal into Bruce and Kate's painful (and separate) experiences following the unexpected news that the pain Kate had been suffering for months was more serious than either of them realized: Kate needed, and received emergency surgery, in what turned out to be a futile attempt to save her life. From there, the story takes the reader on a journey through the deep sorrow and near impossible grief Bruce experienced in those first months after Kate died.

The rest of the story chronicles their life over the course of nearly 48 years, facing the many trials and tribulations life threw at them. Though neither of them knew it then, those difficult experiences helped them to develop interpersonal skills that deepened and strengthened their relationship, and in time, led them to seek and to find a deep and personal relationship with the Divine, through Grace. Their many faceted spiritual journey with the persistent interplay between love and Divine Grace is told by way of a series of life episodes that both humbled and made glorious their life together.

The book concludes with a heartfelt evaluation, as Bruce seeks to make sense of his life without his wife, friend, lover and life-long partner. His conclusions are valuable during troubled times.