Bestselling Author Visits Westwood on Book Tour

Laura Munson’s husband walked into their Montana home after 20 years together and said he no longer loved her and wanted to move out.

Instead of a knee-jerk reaction of anger and hurt, Munson simply responded, “I don’t buy it.”

Munson, whose critically acclaimed book “This Is Not the Story You Think It Is: A Season of Unlikely Happiness,” which chronicles her journey to stay strong and positive during her marital crisis, is now published in eight countries and recently went to paperback.

The former Boston resident stopped in Westwood over the weekend during her book tour for an appearance at .

The group that gathered at the auditorium for the hour-long reading on Saturday got an inside peak at how Munson created her memoir, the first of her 14 books to be published, and how she saved her marriage.

“You can be powerful even in crisis,” said Munson, who claimed she wasn’t a pushover by sticking by her husband after he abandoned their family. “This is a great guy, a family man. I do believe some marriages are meant to end . . . but I felt this was a guy in crisis.”

According to Munson, her husband’s personal strife was a product of the belief that career success is linked to happiness. His career was failing, so, in turn, he felt like a failure.

“It’s a lethal combination,” explained Munson.

She instead gave him the space he needed to work out his personal dilemma and he eventually recommitted to their family.

Wendy Hill, a Westwood resident and owner of , brought Munson to Westwood after reading her book, contacting her on the Internet and striking up a friendship.

“It totally resonated with me,” said Hill. “It’s not ‘Eat, Pray, Love.’ This woman stayed put. She looked inside, not outside, for the answers.”

Munson said she thinks her book is actually similar to the wildly successful “Eat, Pray, Love,” by Elizabeth Gilbert, because they are both about a journey to find peace during crisis.

According to Munson, what makes them different is that Gilbert gave “permission to people to get out of their backyards and be a journeyer.”

“I gave permission to people to do it at their kitchen sink,” Munson said.

To learn more about Munson and her works, visit www.lauramunson.com.