The Hatbox Letters by Beth Powning

This is about a woman coming to terms with the death of her husband. At the same time, she makes a surprising discovery about her family, while looking through papers in some old hatboxes from the attic of her late grandparents house.
Beth Powning is a beautiful writer. I went to one of her readings last fall, and she was charming, sweet, and very tiny.
I especially love this book because it's set near Sussex (New Brunswick) where the author's home is, only about 45 minutes away from Moncton, where I live.
This is a beautiful book, and was my favourite new book in 2003.