Margarette, widowed three times, is preparing breakfast in her rambling house on the Maine coast. She leaves a frying pan with grease on the stove, goes upstairs, get distracted by a mouse, and when she returns to the kitchen it’s in flames. When she calls her daughter, Liddie, to confess the accident, Liddie realizes that her mother’s Alzheimer’s has reached a point where she can no longer live alone.
With her husband, Harry’s support, the family of four moves from Michigan to Maine. The move requires adjustments for each family member and living with an Alzheimer’s patient isn’t easy. Plus the Vietnam War is heating up. It activates Harry’s memories of being a conscientious objector in WWII and puts additional strain on the family.
This is the story of a family coping with problems: growing and changing throughout the book. It’s not an easy book to read. Many of the interactions are messy. However, it’s very realistic. Coping with difficult problems is never easy. The pace isn’t fast, but once you get to know the characters, it’s hard to put the book down.
I loved the setting in Maine. The author does a good job of using the setting to bring the story to life and amplify the lives of the characters. I recommend this book, particularly if you’re coping with a loved one with Alzheimer’s.
I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.
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