Publication Date: May 5, 2026
In this heartwarming, bookish debut, a young widower of a famous children’s fantasy author teams up with a down—on—her—luck MFA dropout to write the final book in his late wife’s series…and find their own perfect ending along the way.
Whit Longacre has a monumental task and a looming deadline. After his wife, Helen, died of cancer, she left him with their grieving eight—year—old daughter and a surprise in her will: the small task of writing the final book in her mega—popular children’s fantasy series for her legions of waiting fans.
Whit is the author of moderately successful (but well—received!) literary mysteries. He doesn’t have the first idea of how to complete Helen’s beloved series, and his enigmatic wife seems to have left no clues behind on how the story is supposed to end. Writer’s block is one thing, but to fail in fulfilling his wife’s last wish? Whit is guilt—ridden and dodging calls in the school pick—up line from Helen’s publisher and agent as the deadline fast approaches.
Then Whit meets Merritt Pryor, who works at the local bookstore in their small New England town. Merritt has moved back home after a disastrous affair led to her dropping out of her prestigious MFA program. When Whit realizes that Merritt is a superfan of the Greenwood Castle series, they come up with a plan to tackle the book together. For the first time in years, Merritt finds herself falling back in love with writing…and perhaps with the coauthor offering her the opportunity of a lifetime.
But when Whit uncovers a buried secret about Helen’s final wishes, he questions everything about what he and Merritt have created together, endangering the tender, electrifying partnership that has transformed their lives.
Can Whit and Merritt come up with an ending that feels right…for both a beloved series and for their battered hearts?
The death of his wife not only leaves Whit Longacre to navigate parenting young Annie, but also with a daunting task.
Author Andrew Forrester gives his main character the responsibility to write the last installment of his late wife’s successful series in How the Story Goes.
As a character, Whit easily gains sympathy between school runs and the looming task. Although he is a writer, his preferred genre serves a much different audience. Or at least it did before writer’s block.
Enter Merrick Pryor, who is filling in at a local bookstore. She and Whit both wrestle with grief, but together they attempt to bring Helen’s final story to life.
The author adds obstacles along the way that threaten the project’s success. The unexpected twists add to the story’s appeal.
How the Story Goes features an opportunity for a widower to build a new story—this time with a happy ending.
Andrew Forrester is a writer and former English teacher whose work has appeared in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and Parents magazine. He holds a PhD in nineteenth—century British literature and lives in Austin, Texas with his family. How The Story Goes is his first novel.
