# The Language of Love and Loss: A Witty and Moving Novel Perfect for Book Clubs - Hardcover

by **Bart Yates** (Author)

**Readers of _Mad Honey_ will adore this clever, deeply touching, buoyant new novel from an award-winning author. When his difficult mother is diagnosed with ALS, a sharp-witted yet sensitive artist reluctantly returns to his New Hampshire hometown - and all the ghosts he left behind.**

As it turns out, you can go home again. But sometimes, you really, _really_ don't want to . . .

Home, for Noah York, is Oakland, New Hampshire, the sleepy little town where Noah's mother, Virginia, had a psychotic breakdown and Noah got beaten to a pulp as a teenager. Then there were the good times--and Noah's not sure which ones are more painful to recall.

Now thirty-seven and eking out a living as an artist in Providence, Rhode Island, Noah looks much the same--and swears just as colorfully--as he did in high school. Virginia has become a wildly successful poet who made him the subject of her most famous poem, "The Lost Soul," a label Noah will never live down. And J.D., the one who got away--because Noah stupidly drove him away--is in a loving marriage with a successful, attractive man whom Noah despises wholeheartedly.

Is it any surprise that Noah wishes he could ignore his mother's summons to come visit?

But Virginia has shattering news to deliver, and a request he can't refuse. Soon, Noah will track down the sister and extended family he never knew existed, try to keep his kleptomaniac cousin out of jail, feud with a belligerent neighbor, confront J.D.'s jealous husband--and face J.D. himself, the ache from Noah's past that never fades. . . . All the while, contending with his brilliant, unpredictable mother.

Bittersweet, hilarious, and moving, and as unapologetically candid and unforgettable as Noah himself, _The Language of Love and Loss_ is a story about growing older, getting lost--and finding your way back to the only truths that really matter.

### Author Biography

**Bart Yates** is the Alex Award-winning author of novels including _Leave Myself Behind, The Brothers Bishop,_ and _The Third Hill North of Town,_ written as Noah Bly. He is also a musician, and plays clarinet, saxophone, and bass guitar. He lives in Iowa City, IA and can be found online at BartYates.com.

**Number of Pages:** 256

**Dimensions:** 1 x 8.4 x 5.8 IN

**Publication Date:** May 23, 2023

## Details

- **Price:** 27.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 27.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Language of Love and Loss: A Witty and Moving Novel Perfect for Book Clubs - Hardcover
- The Language of Love and Loss: A Witty and Moving Novel Perfect for Book Clubs - Hardcover

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> Updated: 2026-07-23