Author: Anna Quindlen
Publication Information: Random House. 2024. 304 pages.
ISBN: 0593229800 / 978-0593229804
Rating: ★★★★
Book Source: I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.
Opening Sentence: "Annie Brown died right before dinner."
Favorite Quote: "You need to let them know that sadness shouldn't lead to silence. You need to find a way to do that every day."
This book grapples with the incredible challenge of dealing with the death of a loved one. It deals with the even bigger challenge when that death is sudden and unexpected. Not that you ever expect death. Not even when everything indicates death is coming are you ever actually prepared for the finality of it.
Annie Brown is the glue that holds her family and her friends together. Her husband, her children, and her best friend all rely on her. Then, one day, Annie suddenly dies of a brain aneurysm. There are, of course, the logistics to deal with - the hospital, the funeral, the condolences, and more. There is also life to deal with because life goes on. Days rise and end. School, meals, jobs, and the myriad details of day to day life. Within the logistics of it all is the emotion and the grief.
Annie's husband Bill is lost and overwhelmed. Annie's children are thrust out of their childhood in dealing with things no child should have to deal with. Some of the burden of care falls to the oldest Ali as she tries to step into the caretaker role for her younger siblings and, to some extent, her father. Annemarie, who loses her best friend, deals with anchoring herself and caring for herself in the way that Annie did while trying simultaneously to care for Annie's family.
The story travels through the year after Annie's death - a year of firsts - and the emergence of life ... after Annie. The story is one of grief and its power to change us. It is a story of grief as it traverses memories of a lifetime through the different narrators of the story. This is, however, also a story of hope and of the potential for joy even after such an unfathomable loss.
As with other Anna Quindlen books, this book brings to life ordinary people - people readers can relate to - in a situation that all us hope to never have to face. Also like the author's other books, this story is slow and quiet. It starts with a shocking event but then quietly weaves its way through grief. In a way, that slow pace works for this story for grief lasts a lifetime with steps forward and backwards. In this, the book rings true. This is a story that resonates and lingers in its voice longer after I finish the book.
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