Monday, April 6, 2015

Love triumphs all

The Day We MetFor fans of Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You comes a beautifully written, heartwarming novel about mothers and daughters, husbands and wives. The Day We Met asks: Can you love someone you don’t remember falling in love with?
A gorgeous husband, two beautiful children, a job she loves—Claire’s got it all. And then some. But lately, her mother hovers more than a helicopter, her husband Greg seems like a stranger, and her kids are like characters in a movie. Three-year-old Esther’s growing up in the blink of an eye, and twenty-year-old Caitlin, with her jet-black hair and clothes to match, looks like she’s about to join a punk band—and seems to be hiding something. Most concerning, however, is the fact that Claire is losing her memory, including that of the day she met Greg.
When Claire meets a handsome stranger on a rainy day, she starts to wonder if Greg still belongs in her life. She knows she should love him, but she can’t always remember why. When Greg gives her a blank book, Claire fills its pages with private memories and keepsakes, jotting down beginnings and endings and everything in between. The book becomes the story of Claire—her passions, her sorrows, her joys, her adventures in a life that refuses to surrender to a fate worse than dying: disappearing.
While initially tempting to compare this book to Still Alice, I started to realize it wasn't the same at all.  While it does address the awful disease we know as Alzheimer's, the story is about so much more.  It's about family, the decisions we make, and most of all love.  I don't want to give anything away, but I did find it a bit predictable and a little too wrapped up, but i still loved the characters and felt connected to their story.  If you are a fan of Still Alice, I think this is a great book to pick up soon!

  * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *