SAY HER NAME is classified as a novel but is in fact a beautiful and heart-wrenching portrait of the author's relationship with his young wife, Aura, who died in a tragic accident just a couple of years after they were married. The novel ebbs and flows between Goldman's life before and after Aura's death. His memories of her are tainted by the knowledge of what is to come. His experiences after the accident are haunted by Aura's absence. Goldman's paints a vivid portrait of his wife's life and how she lived it using words from her journals and unfinished stories. For his part, he is brutally honest about his struggles to keep breathing after she's gone.

Novelist Francisco Goldman married writer Aura Estrada on beach in Mexico. Two years later, on a return trip to Mexico, Aura is killed body surfing. Her family blames him and threatens legal action against him. However, they can't blame him as much as he blames himself. Seeking to keep Aura alive, he gathers her things close to him, including her writing. It is his exploration of her personal history and her writing that forms the basis of SAY HER NAME.