I was drawn to the Red Address Book because it reminded me of my mother, who keeps a tattered old address book in the drawer under her landline. I love flipping through it because as my memory fades and timelines blur, it memorializes all the places my siblings and I have lowered our anchors throughout our lives. Some moves were good, others not so much - but it is always interesting to look back and see how far we’ve come. My nostalgia over my mother’s address book was well-rewarded in picking up The Red Address Book. Sofia Lundberg has used the concept of an address book as the framework for Doris’s compelling story. Doris is a lonely, tech-savvy 96-year old woman who only has her grand-niece and some caretakers in her life. Chapters follow entries into the address book until we reach the chapter where the name is crossed out and Doris has scrawled the word “dead.”
Some storylines were stronger than others, but all enjoyable. The passage of Doris’s mother saying goodbye will stay with me:
“I wish you enough. Enough sun to light up your days, enough rain that you appreciate the sun. Enough joy to strengthen your soul, enough pain that you can appreciate life’s small moments of happiness. And enough friends that you can manage a farewell now and then.”
Thank you to Bookishfirst and Sofia Lundberg for an ARC of The Red Address Book in exchange for a candid review.
Some storylines were stronger than others, but all enjoyable. The passage of Doris’s mother saying goodbye will stay with me:
“I wish you enough. Enough sun to light up your days, enough rain that you appreciate the sun. Enough joy to strengthen your soul, enough pain that you can appreciate life’s small moments of happiness. And enough friends that you can manage a farewell now and then.”
Thank you to Bookishfirst and Sofia Lundberg for an ARC of The Red Address Book in exchange for a candid review.