Maggie Cooper has lost sight of the living. Three years after her husband Peter's death, Maggie is estranged from her daughter and removed from her son. She wears Peter's one remaining item of clothing--a paintsplattered sweatshirt--and spends more than the occasional night sleeping in her car, away from the memories of their once-shared bed. Obsessed with making the perfect basket to contain her late husband's ashes, Maggie spends her days gathering kelp at the local beach and weaving in her sunroom. Now, the island property where she and Peter had first built their lives together has been sold and Maggie has no choice but to return there to pack what belongings remain and face the ghosts of the past. Decomposing Maggie resonates with dignity and clarity. Eriksson writes with compassion, frankness and grace.