Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott

"A tender, honest study of aging, family and what people will do to insure the ones they care about are safe and secure."

4 Stars.

Pros: All the characters are different, relatable and the relationships they form with one another are heartwarming and true.

Cons: The ending wasn't exactly what I was expecting but at the same time, it worked, just in a more melancholy way than I had hoped.

Full Review:

Edith is a widow, her husband Declan having died of a sudden heart attack decades earlier. She's estranged from her children bus does her best to take care of the tenants in her building, that she and Declan bought together when they were first married. It's a motley crew, to be sure but they're all kind and genuine in their own way.

There's Edward, a washed up comedian, Paulie, a thirty something year old with a developmental disability but whose heart is innocent and pure, Thomas, an artist who suffered a stroke and Adeleine, a reclusive, Agoraphobe who hasn't left her apartment in years.

Through all of their trials and tribulations, Edith has been there to help. After Thomas suffered the stroke, she brought him food and made sure he took care of himself. She's a constant presence, always ready with a kind word, a warm cup of tea and a gentle, encouraging smile. It's not until the night of the fire, when the building across the street starts to burn and Edith tries to walk into the flames that the tenants realize, her mind is starting to slip.

What follows is a heart wrenching and emotional tale of people trying to take care of a woman who's always taken care of them. They'll go to extreme lengths to insure that Edith is safe, away from the money hungry hands of her son, who wants to put Edith in a home and evict them all.

They work together to figure everything out and though the end isn't particularly happy, it's honest and heartfelt. This was a beautifully written book and I greatly enjoyed it.

Comments

Fantastic Voyage by Isaac Asimov

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

"Arnold Spirit, Jr, or "Junior" as he's known on the Rez, does something no Spokane Indian has ever done. He enrolls in Reardon High School and begins the long and often painful process off navigating not only high school and adolescence but also being an outsider. Alexie handles it all with grace, humor and honesty. This was a great read. I would recommend it to anyone." 5 Stars Pros: Alexie handles the ups and downs of not only adolescence, but tragedy and loss in a stark, honest but gut wrenchingly relatable way. Cons: Some of Junior's all-consuming guilt, though understandable was a little repetitive but it's all part of being a teenager. Full Review: It all starts when Arnold Spirit Jr, or Junior, throws a textbook across the classroom. When he opened the book he saw his mother's name, her maiden name and it enrages him. He's furious that the reservation is so poor that they're learning from thirty-year old textbooks. He doesn't...

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