Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful novel by Julie Orringer. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!
Dava and Barr Pennington are both professors at a Midwestern university - his specialty is fiction writing and hers is English literature. Dava is experiencing the ill effects of early-onset Alzheimer's disease and has to move to a memory care facility. In the house alone, Barr discovers that Dava had been writing a novel, and he learns of her affair in the novel's pages. Over the next two years, he rewrites the novel and publishes it as his own work.
I loved this novel and the way it plays out. Over decades, in eight parts, the story is gradually told in different voices, all in second person as though they were talking to the reader. This way, we see how their marriage played out, the secrets and betrayals, the guilt, and yes, love in different forms. Dava's world was personally so impactful to me, as it will be to anyone who has dealt with memory issues in a loved one, and the author was so respectful of this world. Get ready to be emotionally invested in this novel and especially with the dog, and all those who love and take care of her. Plus, it will make you really think about the moral and ethical questions involved. This is an absolute must read and is highly recommended!
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