The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth

Amy   

women's fiction

I won an Advanced Reader Copy of The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth. I had enjoyed her first novel (The Secrets of Midwives) so was excited to read another Hepworth novel. However, I was a little hesitant to enter the ARC contest because I was afraid that the topic, Alzheimers Disease, would be depressing. I had read another book about Alzheimers, Still Alice by Lisa Genova, several years ago. That story brought the reader through the enlightening journey of discovering the illness, dread of Alice’s imminent future, the downfall of her career, the acceptance of Alice’s new reality, and the way the family managed the situation. I learned a lot about this horrible disease (of which I previously knew almost nothing) while reading this compassionate novel. So, I was thinking that I did not need to read another book about Alzheimers. But, I wanted to give another Hepworth novel a try--especially a free ARC!

I can say it was definitely not the same story as Still Alice. Before the story begins in The Things We Keep, Anna has already accepted her undeniable future, has already said goodbye to her previous lifestyle (which was brushed over too easily, perhaps), and has been placed in an assisted-living facility. This story is more about her journey as the disease progresses and how her family and the facility employees manage her situation. It has a cast of charming characters and involves a second storyline about the newly-widowed cook at the facility, Eve, and her daughter. The storylines were told in different timeframes which was interesting and necessary in order to keep the mystery going. As with her first novel, Hepworth did a nice job of weaving the multi-generational storylines during the course of the novel. Her writing is very easy to read. It was a very touching story about love, kindness, forgiveness, and strength. I enjoyed it because I really cared about the characters. This novel has a lot of heart.

#loveneverforgets #thethingswekeep