Forgotten on Sunday
By Valerie Perrin ★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10 ""I jot down what Monsieur Geant tells me in my new notebook. Sometimes, I read it back to him. It makes him laugh. He tells me that it's as if he is listening to someone else's story, that my..."
By Valerie Perrin
★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10
300 pages
What’s it about?
Justine is a nursing assistant at a home for the elderly. She has a heart for the residents and is particularly close to 100-year-old Helene. She is actually writing Helene's life story down as she visits with her. As Helene tells Justine of her past, she encourages Justine to confront the stories in her own life.
What did it make me think about?
Aging, regrets, and love.
Should I read it?
This was a beautiful story. It hits you from so many angles. Is this novel a love story, a tragedy, a mystery, or just a great piece of historical fiction? I think it is all of them. Valerie Perrin weaves together Justine's personal story and Helene's stories with such grace. My friend Ann recommended this one for book club, and I am so glad she did. It should make for an interesting discussion. I enjoyed this book so much that as soon as I read the last page, I ordered Valerie Perrin's earlier novel, Fresh Water for Flowers. Look for that review soon.
I am self-indulgently adding that Izzy (my dog) and I have spent many an hour as a hospice team visiting patients in a nursing home, so I was especially touched by this line: "In the end, dogs are like fine weather, they take your mind off things."
A passage I marked
"I jot down what Monsieur Geant tells me in my new notebook. Sometimes, I read it back to him. It makes him laugh. He tells me that it's as if he is listening to someone else's story, that my works are finer than his life. Since I'm always being told that when an old person dies a library burns to the ground, I'm saving a little of the ashes."
