Carpenter, Joe

Joe Carpenter is the main character of the novel. He is a former crime reporter for the Los Angeles Post newspaper. He has lost his wife and children due to a horrible plane crash over a meadow in Colorado. He is full of grief and survivor guilt for having not perished with his family. He has been barely living over the past year. He sold the family home soon after the crash and moved into a small apartment where he simply hopes to die in his sleep. He has seen a therapist to assist in his healing process but still suffers anxiety attacks. He is at odds with himself throughout most of this story. While he toys with the idea of drinking himself into a coma, he refuses to do so because it will take away the memories of his family. Despite all of his attempts to...