EMILY LISTFIELD
WAITING TO SURFACE
A NOVEL
by Emily Listfield
One morning in 1999, Emily Listfield was sitting in her office at Condé Nast when she received a call that would change her life: her husband, celebrated New York sculptor George Dudding, had vanished off the coast of Florida without a trace. The police believed Dudding had gone swimming, but there was no body, no witnesses, and no hard evidence. The Coast Guard scoured the shore and found nothing. In the days and weeks ahead, the police, private detectives, and Coast Guard all came up with different theories, but no body was ever found and the case remained open.
WAITING TO SURFACE: A Novel (Atria Books; $24.95; ISBN: ISBN: 978-1-4165-3783-0, Publication Date: October 2, 2007) is Emily Listfield's provocative, illuminating, and deftly written story about learning to persevere without answers and finding a way to reopen her heart to love. Brimming with insider details, WAITING TO SURFACE traces one year in the life of Sarah Larkin, a magazine editor who gets the call that sent Listfield herself reeling. How Sarah copes, and what she ultimately discovers about herself, daughter, and troubled husband, is both tender and tragic, offering invaluable lessons and insight for us all.
The Back Story
At the time of her husband’s disappearance, Listfield was working as the features director at Self magazine. Dudding was a noted sculptor with works in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bianca Jagger, and S.I. Newhouse. Listfield and Dudding had a six-year-old daughter. Along with her work in magazines, Emily had also published five novels, including It Was Gonna Be Like Paris, which was named a notable book of the year by the New York Times. Listfield spent the next few years rebuilding her life, all while navigating the high-powered magazine industry. She moved on to become executive editor of McCall’s and served as editor in chief of Fitness magazine for five years. When Dudding disappeared, others wanted to tell the story. But, Listfield knew that one day she would want to tell the story herself. Now, after years of people asking, “When are you going to write a book about it?” she finally has.
WAITING TO SURFACE is a hauntingly beautiful novel that shows how to come to terms with loss and treasure love again. We look forward to speaking with you soon about your interest in this rare work and Emily’s story.