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The Oprah Podcast

Ann Packer: "Some Bright Nowhere" | Oprah's Book Club

The Oprah Podcast

Harpo

Society & Culture

4.2 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 11 November 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks, Oprah and Ann Packer discuss Some Bright Nowhere, Ann’s poignant new novel and Oprah’s 120th Book Club selection. This book explores what happens when a wife's dying request shatters everything her husband believed about their 35 years together. Ann’s evocative and beautifully written novel inspired a thought-provoking conversation among readers at a Starbucks coffeehouse in New York City. As our audience discussed the inherent challenges and life-changing insights that come with the privilege and responsibility of caregiving, they were warmed by a Starbucks holiday classic: the Peppermint Mocha. BUY THE BOOK! https://www.harpercollins.com/products/some-bright-nowhere-ann-packer 00:00:00 - Welcome Ann Packer, author of ‘Some Bright Nowhere’ 00:02:40 - Thando shares her feelings about the main characters  00:04:50 - How Ann created the story  00:06:50 - Ann knew the ending before she started 00:07:38 - Recurring theme in Ann’s books  00:10:35 - Ann takes on hard questions  00:14:50 - How Ann wrote from the male perspective  00:17:07 - Support for male caregivers  00:25:30 - Male and female caregiving differences  00:30:38 - The difficulty of speaking your truth  00:31:54 - The power of a dying wish  00:33:48 - What cancer takes away from people  00:39:29 - What can be learned from loss  00:40:32 - Ann wants to normalize talking about death  00:42:50 - How it feels to hit send on your finished book SUPPORT THE SHOW Learn more about Jack’s Caregiver Coalition - a national non-profit that ensures no man should care alone. Jack’s is a center for empowerment, support, and community for men who are caregivers.  https://www.jackscaregiverco.org/ Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: Instagram Facebook TikTok Listen to the full podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts #oprahsbookclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Anna is here!

0:05.0

How wonderful.

0:08.0

Good to see you. You wearing one of my favorite colors, purple.

0:11.0

It didn't not occur to me.

0:13.0

Do you ever make yourself cry with your own writing?

0:18.0

Because I know a lot of people did.

0:23.6

Embarrassingly, when I read it afterwards sometimes. You do, tear up.

0:24.6

Yeah.

0:27.6

Hi, everybody.

0:28.6

I'm so happy to welcome you to Oprah's Book Club presented by Starbucks.

0:32.6

We're in an empire state of mind here at a Starbucks cafe in the heart of New York City.

0:38.2

And the holidays are here, and that means this month's drink pairing is a Starbucks classic,

0:43.2

the peppermint mocha with flavors of chocolate and peppermint.

0:48.3

It's a merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, many,

0:50.0

to warm up this season, along with a great book.

0:53.4

And I have just the one for you right here.

0:56.4

My 120th book club selection is Some Bright Nowhere by Anne Packer, the beloved Anne Packer.

1:05.4

It's a novel that explores what happens when a wife's dying request shatters everything her husband believed about

1:16.3

their 35 years together. Everyone in our audience has read the book and I hear it brought up some strong

1:22.4

feelings for many of you. Diane, where are you? Right here. Diane, some strong feelings.

1:28.0

Let's hear it.

1:28.9

Yes, actually, I've been married 40 years,

...

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