What an amazing book. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going in, but this was a remarkable take on writing about the effects of dementia, especially when it’s from the point of view of the sufferer. It was very cleverly written, Ernie’s thoughts and feelings, he had no idea he was forgetting things and getting times within his life mixed up, he was just himself thinking and feeling. All this while we get jumps back in time to see Ernie’s life right from him being a very young boy during the war.

The story really touched me, I felt connected to Ernie as an old man, he had a calm and solid presence, he connected with so many people throughout his life, we meet various characters through out the book that have known him for decades. His granddaughter Nina was an interesting character and I really felt for her, she longed for someone to see her, to accept her and help her help herself, I get the feeling Ernie suffered a bit like Nina throughout his life, but ADHD wasn’t diagnosed in the 50s and 60s and he just had to ‘keep calm and carry on’. When Nina managed to get someone to help her, he took such great care to nurture her mind and help her and I felt such joy and pride for her when she managed to put Ernie’s bike back together. She found her niche and her tribe.

The ending was incredibly moving, from the bike club driving by the care home and Ernie getting to hear Josie one last time to Alf waiting for him on Liberty and then riding off together. Then add in the letter Nina finds which explains the journeys that Ernie took Stephen on, simply moving.

Some very difficult situations dealt with very sensitively and with a unique perspective which really got you thinking about dementia from a whole new point of view. I will certainly recommend this book to everyone.

oh i was completely not ok with this book!in all the good ways though. because it was such a beautiful and heart rendering book i felt myself falling apart but at the same time falling together. i definitely fell head first into this book. it was such a tender and sensitive telling of some really rather raw topics.
anyone who has been alongside someone with dementia knows. i dont mean others are ignorant to it. but there is only the level of knowing you get from actually living with it. its indescribable and to try to do so would encompass anywhere near of what any one person could manage. just today i heard someone asking why a certain person with dementia didnt have a phone to call for help if they needed it. people were shocked, almost outraged on the persons behalf. and it made me have that deep gnawing, the "knowing" because i new exactly why perhaps this person didnt have a phone anymore. this book too held me in its arms as i felt understood and nodded my head at many a moments. because this book felt real. yet as it descried Ernie it did so with him in mind. and to be gentle with this often heartbreaking condition is a true talent.
i love how we learnt on Ernie from both his past and present. it meant he was still a whole person. he was neither before nor after his diagnosis. but both were important parts of him. both STILL him.
we also have the story of Nina his grand daughter. she is also struggling to find where she fits in. shes also struggling with things beyond her control that makes her life look and feel different. she also needs a way to navigate life others might not understand or need to do.
this book hit me hard. but it felt like such a comfort. and i found that i was so appreciative of it for not making it harrowing and too close to home but more a comfort and close to home.

Ah yes, the isolation of feeling weird or a failure. Personally, I don't think you need to have a diagnose of ADHD (or ME in my case) to think you're not living up to the current standards of the demanding society we live in. So let me add this book to my shelf on Goodreads about being-good-enough.

Apparently, you can be a three-year old girl bouncing up and down at every opportunity, but not a seventeen-year old young woman who feels like she is fizzing inside.
I enjoyed Nina as a character – struggling and picking herself up, even if that meant to ask for help (not that easy, even for adults). Don't we all need an Alf or a John in life from time to time, someone to have our back?

That is a truly great book. It has a very sensitive main topic (dementia) that is treated with lots of empathy. There is a dual timeline in the story, the "everyday" shows Ernie's slow decline and the loving care of his family. The "far away" parts are about Ernie's memories of a sometimes painful, but good life.
I loved the main characters, first of all Ernie who is a warm hearted, good man. The ending of the story made me cry, it was really moving, but also hopeful for Ernie's "misfit" granddaughter who in the end found her place, something that makes her happy.
I must also mention the author's style that also added to an enjoyable read.
I'm really happy to have found this book. Thank you.

What a gorgeous book. As someone that has a be the effects dementia can have on a person and what it can take away this story is a beautiful look into that world and I love how it brings both young and old together. Dementia can take away a lot of things but never love.