In the small town of Holt, Colorado, Addie Moore, a widow in her seventies, visits her neighbor Louis Waters with a straightforward proposal. She asks if he will spend his nights sleeping beside her in her bed—not for sex, but to alleviate the hollow silence and insomnia of aging alone. As they lie together in the dark, they share stories of their failed marriages, parenting regrets, and the mundane details of their pasts. Their quiet arrangement eventually faces public scrutiny from judgmental neighbors and interference from Addie’s adult son, who threatens to separate them by using his own child as leverage.
Readers interested in the logistics of late-life companionship and the social pressures of small-town life find a realistic depiction of aging here. The book appeals to those who prefer minimalist prose and stories about the tension between personal autonomy and family obligations. A reader finishes the book with a clear understanding of how adult children often infantilize their parents and how the need for physical presence remains constant regardless of age. It offers a blunt look at the cost of seeking comfort against the grain of social convention.
Inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2015
- Language
- EN
