Shooting Out the Lights
A Memoir

In this memoir, Kim Fairley shares an intimate account of one summer of her life married to Vern, a man 24 years her senior. Vern is a troubled man with a troubled past, and their love was overshadowed by Vern's loss of his son Ben a few years prior to their marriage. Kim and Vern had a worldwind ro......more

This was an interesting memoir that was difficult to read at times. I say that because I want to note up front there is animal cruelty in here, and it is not noted up front, so be aware. I had to skip over those parts, and almost put this down because of it, but was curious how this would end so I k......more

Yearning. Loss. Silence. Generational patterns. Kim Fairley has lived them all. In this quietly haunting memoir, she admitted me into her history, where she revealed an upbringing fraught with neglect and abandonment. Her father-longings, buried in childhood, resurface when decades-older Vern fascina......more

Kim Fairley’s Shooting Out the Lights is the story of a young wife coming to terms with her unusual husband and his desire to help a friend. This is a riveting book. It takes uncommon courage and uncommon skill to bare one’s soul in such a clear-eyed and moving manner. As a former Cincinnati residen......more

A beautifully written memoir ripe with gorgeous imagery and drama that kept me turning the pages to the very satisfying end. The author holds a lens to our complicated human existence- the way we negotiate relationships—and seems to conclude that sometimes we find gifts and lessons where we least ex......more