A Widow for One Year by John Irving

A Widow for One Year - Ruth Cole grew up in the shadow of her two dead brothers.  Hundreds of framed pictures hung in their house and Ruth's mother, Marion, would tell Ruth the story of each photograph so many times that Ruth knew their stories as well as her parents.  Her father, Ted, a philanderer, was an artist who wrote children's stories, who lost his driver's license due to driving drunk.  When she was four years old, Ted hired 16 year-old Edward O'Hare to be his writer's assistant and driver for the summer.

Edward and Marion become lovers. Marion leaves everyone at the end of the summer.  Ruth grows up to be a successful writer.  Edward, who fell in love with Marion, never gets over her and becomes a moderately successful writer.