Reviewed by Kristin
Ash and Edi have been best friends for 42
years. From feeding the nursery school class Venus flytrap together, to
marriages and children, they have been there for each other. Now, Edi has
advanced ovarian cancer, and Ash will do anything to help. Anything. The idea
of life without Edi is unimaginable.
When the Sloan Kettering doctors say that
there is nothing else to do, Edi’s husband Jude starts calling hospices in New
York City, only to find that there are waiting lists. What? Do they not
understand the immediate need for care in a a hospice situation?
Ash lives in a little town in western Massachusetts
where the Graceful Shepherd Hospice does have space for a patient. It’s a crazy
idea and Jude is heartbroken at the idea of having his wife so far away, but
there are few options. Edi and Jude have a young son who has already been upset
by seeing his mother deteriorating. Edi wants Dash to remember her as her whole
self, not the shell she is becoming.
Ash’s goal is to be with Edi, to enjoy their
time together, and to be there for the ugly parts too. Bodily fluids, brain fog,
and weakness must be taken into account, and Ash is there for her friend. While
being strong in front of Edi, Ash is also being torn apart by the pain of
losing her best friend. She engages in some outrageous bed-hopping behavior.
Even if her 17-year-old daughter Belle doesn’t understand, (and unfortunately
happens to catch Mom in some of those particular beds) everyone has different
coping mechanisms.
This cleverly writen story of two best
friends and all their family living in the liminal space of anticipatory grief
is told with much love and humor. Ash and Edi find joy, even as they know their
time together is coming to an end. The characters are well developed, though
Edi’s life story is told more through Ash as she goes through their memories
together. Strong family connections hold them all together, even as they face an
enormous loss.
This is Catherine Newman’s first adult book.
Another novel entitled Sandwich is being published in June 2024.
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