Half of Every Couple takes the reader through the year following the death of the author's husband, ending their nearly fifty year marriage. Weekly entries follow Diane O'Brien's journey of grief - from the numbness of the first weeks to a gradual awakening to the possibilities that lay ahead. With a 150-year-old farm house and barn, a flock of laying hens, a dog and six grandchildren within a mile or two there are few quiet moments. The paradox of grieving amidst the renewal of life all around her is a central theme of Half of Every Couple. That this unfolds in the context of a small coastal Maine town where everyone knows someone has died when the dooryard's full of cars makes it all the more interesting.