What Remains of You

A widow’s discovery of her husband’s devastating past threatens to destroy everything she believed about their marriage in a gripping and emotional novel about love and secrets.

Dear Diana, If you’ve found this letter, I’m gone.

Eighteen months after her husband Tom’s death, Diana Morgan is still grieving and struggling to move on, while striving to be the strongest parent she can for their two children. When she finds a letter from Tom meant for her eyes only, she expects a final declaration of love—not a cryptic confession to a terrible unnamed crime.

But Tom’s secret is not his alone. There are others who know, others who may try to insinuate themselves into Diana’s life. Tom warns: Don’t let them in. Reeling with disbelief and fear, Diana begins to doubt everything she remembers of their marriage. What was real? What was manipulation? And who can she trust?

Embarking on a dangerous quest for answers, Diana travels to her husband’s small hometown in Vermont. She knows the secrets Tom was holding all stem from here. But will the truth about the man she loved bring her peace, or will it shatter her world?

Kimberly Hensle Lowrance is the author of the debut novel, What Remains of You (July 1, 2026, Lake Union Publishing).

Her writing can be found in the Boston Globe, WBUR’s Cognoscenti, and Embark Literary Journal, among other publications. She’s also been included in two anthologies: The Pandemic Midlife Crisis: Gen X Women on the Brink and Specimen Science: Ethics and Policy Implications.

Most recently, she was a producer and on-air host for A Mighty Blaze, an online literary platform co-founded by authors Jenna Blum and Caroline Leavitt. Kimberly co-hosted Authors Love Bookstores, interviewing booksellers and authors, including Judy Blume, Ann Patchett, Maggie O’Farrell, Curtis Sittenfeld, Susan Orlean, and many others.

Kimberly’s other roles include nonprofit director, consultant, blogger, and community volunteer. A graduate of Boston University and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she lives in Massachusetts with her family and their very shy rescue dog.

Praise for What Remains of You

“How well do we really know the people we love? Kimberly Hensle Lowrance’s astonishing debut about the upturned life of a grieving widow both unsettled and gripped me in the best possible way. Adroitly, and with great grace, Hensle Lowrance explores our notions about love, memory, secrets, and how knowledge isn’t always power. Truly a wonderful read.” —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder

“Attention, all book clubs: What Remains of You should be your next fabulous choice. Would you want to know the terrible truth about someone you truly love? What if it made you stop loving them? Might it be better to keep it in the past? Or would you do what Diana does, relentlessly following the trail of your husband’s past no matter where it leads? Emotionally wrenching, heartbreakingly insightful, and gorgeously written, this page-turner is a total-immersion exploration into love, marriage, responsibility…and redemption. I cheered for Diana on every page—and so will you. Do not miss this!” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of All This Could Be Yours

“Kimberly Hensle Lowrance’s debut packs all the things that will grip a reader from page one: a letter from the grave and a lost husband’s secret past that sends his widow down a rabbit hole of reveals and takes her on a twisting journey to find out who the man she married really was—all while she tries to protect her children and her own memories of the life she thought she knew. Page-turning and beautifully written. Hensle Lowrance is a writer to watch.” —Donna Freitas, bestselling author of Her One Regret and The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano

“What if you not only lost your husband unexpectedly but his death presented you with a deadly puzzle? In elegant, assured, so-accessible prose, Kimberly Hensle Lowrance marries the universal anguish of grief with a specific mystery, creating a story that is as unputdownable as it is unforgettable. Fans of Anita Shreve and Laura Dave will rejoice at this addictive new voice.” —Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Murder Your Darlings and The Lost Family

“What if the one person you trust most isn’t who you believe they are? What steps will you take to fill in the missing gaps in their story? Those are the central questions that drive Hensle Lowrance’s riveting debut, a story driven by loss and shame and dark secrets and, finally, by the love of those who touch our lives, warts and all. I loved What Remains of You, and so will fans of Laura Dave and Liane Moriarty!” —Edwin Hill, author of What Happened Next