The Things We Keep Published by St. Martin’s Press on January 19th 2016
Genres: Fiction, Women
Pages: 352
Format: eBook
Goodreads
Anna Forster, in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease at only thirty-eight years old, knows that her family is doing what they believe to be best when they take her to Rosalind House, an assisted living facility. She also knows there’s just one another resident her age, Luke. What she does not expect is the love that blossoms between her and Luke even as she resists her new life at Rosalind House. As her disease steals more and more of her memory, Anna fights to hold on to what she knows, including her relationship with Luke.
When Eve Bennett is suddenly thrust into the role of single mother she finds herself putting her culinary training to use at Rosalind house. When she meets Anna and Luke she is moved by the bond the pair has forged. But when a tragic incident leads Anna’s and Luke’s families to separate them, Eve finds herself questioning what she is willing to risk to help them.
Wow, that’s what I’ll say about this book right out of the gate. Let me repeat myself – wow. I didn’t expect to like this book, I was even a little leery about reading it, but I’m so glad I ignored my own gut feeling and jumped right into The Things We Keep: A Novel by Sally Hepworth. Here’s what I’ll tell you – it’s a fantastic storyline, the writing style flowed beautifully, and the characters were very deep and emotional. This is not a book you should ignore and it shouldn’t be missed.
I honestly ♥LOVED♥ this book. In fact, if Sally Hepworth wrote a sequel to The Things We Keep, I’d line up to buy the book just to find out how the characters in this book continued to live out their lives. The characters are lovable and complex, and at times they are funny. They actually felt like people I knew or wanted to know. It was hard for the book to end because I wasn’t ready to let the characters go yet. I completely connected with The Things We Keep, both the storyline and the characters and I’m really glad I read the book. Most of you that know me know that I don’t usually rave about a book unless I mean it. Well, in this instance, I mean it.
Here’s a bit of the storyline: When 38-year old Anna Forster is diagnosed with the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s, she is taken to an assisted living facility, where she unexpectedly meets Luke. While it is a tragedy that someone so young would suffer dementia, the storyline wasn’t overwhelmingly depressing. It’s a strong presence in the story and readers are aware of the struggles of the victims of dementia and can feel their pain and suffering. The way Ms. Hepworth presents the situation is that while dementia is a strong presence, the story’s stronger tone is that of love and life.
…And then there’s Eve. Boy, did she and Clementine get the short end of the life stick as far as their situation goes. Eve is a recent widow and now single mother to 7 year old Clementine. Eve has her own baggage and the way her story intertwines with Anna’s story keeps readers plugged in to find out exactly how everything will work out.
I don’t want to say too much about the storyline other than to tell you, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. If you have been touched by Alzheimer’s or dementia in any way, you will identify with this story. If you haven’t actually lived through anyone suffering this affliction, you will learn a bit and still enjoy the storyline of The Things We Keep: A Novel by Sally Hepworth.
Sally Hepworth has lived around the world, spending extended periods in Singapore, the U.K. and Canada, where she worked as an event planner and human resources professional. She is a graduate of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. While on maternity leave with her first child, Sally finally fulfilled a lifelong dream to write, the result of which was authoring Love Like The French, published by Random House Germany in 2014.
While pregnant with her second child, Sally wrote The Secrets of Midwives, published worldwide in English, as well as in France, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 2015.
The Things We Keep publishes in January 2016. Sally now writes full-time from her home in Melbourne, Australia where she lives with her husband and two children. Sally is currently working on her next novel.
I was provided with a complimentary digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and unbiased opinion.
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