Losing the Garden

Book excerpt: In 1971, Laura and Guy Waterman decided to give up all the conveniences of life and live self–sufficiently for the land, in a cabin in the mountains of Vermont. For nearly three decades they created a deliberate life, eating food they grew themselves and using no running water or electricity. Losing The Garden is an honest account of their marriage, seen as idyllic but riddled from within, as well as the event that would end it — the day Guy climbed a summit and sat down among the rocks to die. This is the memoir of a woman who was compelled to ask herself, "How could I support my husband's plan to commit suicide?" In her intimate examination, we explore the intricate and dark family histories of this couple, and reach a deep understanding of the marriage that tried to transcend them. At its heart, this is a love story and an affirmation of life after loss.