Author: Abigail Thomas
Hardcover
ISBN:
181 pages
Book Description from Amazon:
When Abigail Thomas’s husband, Rich, was hit by a car, his skull was shattered, his brain severely damaged. Subject to rages, terrors, and hallucinations—and with no memory of what he did the hour, the day, the year before—he was sent to live in a nursing facility that specializes in treating traumatic brain injuries. This tragedy is the ground on which Abigail had to build a new life. How she built that life is a story of great courage and change, of moving to a small country town, of a new family composed of three dogs, knitting, and friendship, of facing down guilt and discovering gratitude. It is also about her relationship with Rich, a man who lived in the eternal present, and the eerie poetry of his often uncanny perceptions. Hailed by Stephen King as “the best memoir I have ever read,” this wise, plainspoken, beautiful book enacts the truth Abigail has discovered since the accident: You might not find meaning in disaster, but you might, with effort, make something useful of it.
My Thoughts:
The premise of this book drew me in. The memoir of a woman who is trying to live her life after her husband suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Reviews at Amazon are mainly 5 stars, with all positive comments. I feel like I’m missing something. This book was a bit all over the place for me. The author shifted views from past to present so much that I got confused and had to re-read passages to try and figure out what was going on. It’s only 181 pages, but it took me a full 2 days to get through it, due to all my re-reading.
Also, the cover and title of the book led me to believe that the book would have more of a focus on her dogs as her companions and creatures that help her through life without her husband at her side. That wasn’t the case. She mentions the dogs throughout, but I just didn’t feel a deep connection between her and the dogs. Although, I can appreciate the “bed crowding” and some other things she mentioned. I was hoping for a more thoughful exploration of her feelings and how her dogs helped her in this process.
While I cared about the author and her story, there wasn’t a lot of depth to the story, in my opinion. She didn’t really go into much detail about her husband’s injury other than to note her visits with him and the “coincidences” he would mention as things happen in her life.
Overall, I was a bit disappointed, but I feel like I’m missed something, because many other people gave it 5 stars and rave reviews. It just didn’t do anything for me. I’d give it 3 stars.
If you read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts! What did I miss??
