Inch by Inch is a novel that presents a scenario all too real for the quarter million women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States each year -- and their families. But above all, Inch by Inch is one of the most honest love stories in contemporary fiction.
Jake and Leslie have been married for twenty-five years, have two children in college, and a life they had expected. Then abruptly, after Jake returns from a business trip, Leslie tells him that she has breast cancer. Suddenly their world is turned upside down. First, there is the surgery, then the devastation of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation. And while Jake is trying all he can to make his wife more comfortable during her painful ordeal, his sacrifices at the office place his job in jeopardy.
Everything in Jake and Leslie's lives begins to unravel as they each are buffeted by events beyond their control. Hers from within her body; his from the outside world, each forcing them to answer life's most difficult questions, and and to find strength beyond anything they thought they possessed.
There are books that map what is to be expected when someone is diagnosed with cancer, but few present the partner's parallel journey. And none are able to depict the searing emotional landscape of grief, fear, and healing that Norman does with such grace.
Craig Nova, author of The Good Son writes: "It has been a very long time since I have read a book as moving as Inch by Inch, and like all important books, it is at once readable and yet it addresses profound matters with breathtaking grace and dignity. This is a novel about love and the possibility of loss, the nature of marriage and the kind of intimacy that people hope for but only rarely experience. It is written with bravery, talent, and with the perfect instinct for when to speak and when to be quiet. In short, Inch by Inch is a beautiful, compelling and haunting book."
