Published in 2021
10 hours and 25 minutes
Kim Fairley writes about her wacky family and how life can be filled with countless unexpected surprises, illuminating joys, and sorrowful heartbreaks. She also writes about healing from deep loss and her experience as a competitive swimmer during the early years of Title IX. She grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, attended the University of Southern California, and holds an MFA in Mixed Media from the University of Michigan. Kim lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
What is this book about?
Shooting Out the Lights unravels like a mystery novel, but Kim Fairley’s memoir wrestles with the very real secrets we keep from each other and the roles we play to protect ourselves. Centered around her marriage to a man 32 years older who had lost his son from his first marriage in a gun accident, the story explores the taboo of wide-age-gap love.
Twenty-four-year-old Kim and 56-year-old Vern become close friends, marry, and soon learn Kim is pregnant. But Kim’s life is turned upside down when the widow of Vern’s dear friend calls Vern in need of a favor. She convinces Vern to take her 11-year-old son, whose behavior challenges Kim’s devotion and trust and the underpinnings of her marriage and serves as a reminder of the power of talking in coming to terms with massive grief.
