Under the Spell

Hedin’s insightful if uneven debut concerns an Astoria, Ore., widow who discovers her late husband had led a secret life. After Sandra Tobin’s husband, Dale, dies in a car accident on New Year’s Eve, Sandra opens his email to sort out their financial information. While doing so, she stumbles on a message from a woman named Ryan Whitehurst, with whom Sandra becomes convinced Dale had been having an affair. Sandra writes to Ryan as Dale and they develop a correspondence, with Ryan unaware that Dale has died. Along the way, Sandra searches for hints, “no matter how guarded or tentative,” that would give her insight on Dale and Ryan’s relationship. In the meantime, Sandra befriends a troubled woman named Lee, whom she meets in a therapy group. Sandra also connects with Lee’s daughter, Tina, and winds up taking care of Tina during a conflict between Lee and her ex-husband. While the email exchanges between Sandra and Ryan can grow tedious, often running on for several pages without advancing the plot or developing the characters, the inevitable showdown with Ryan is worth the wait. Along the way, Hedin exhibits a keen understanding of the ways grief leads to new possibilities as Sandra reexamines her life and marriage. This has good bones, but could use a bit more meat. (June)