Stage Seven

I loved this book, which tells the profound and moving story of Barbara, caring for her mother Dolly who is living with Alzheimer's. The relationships between the central characters are so richly portrayed that I felt like I got to know them all well (and finishing the book was difficult, because I would have read on, happily). The ethics of romantic relationships involving a person whose spouse has advanced Alzheimer's are handled sensitively, and with great compassion.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stage Seven is the final stage of Alzheimer’s and it is what Dolly Gordon is facing. She lives in the memory care unit of Tropical Gardens Assisted Living and is visited daily by Barbara, her daughter. This is Barbara’s story.

Barbara is a card carrying member of the sandwich generation. She must balance her mother’s care with the needs of her 16 year old (going on 25) daughter and gets no help from her self-centered older sister. Compulsively organized charts, spreadsheets and lists help manage her anxiety but she still worries about everyone but herself. Then she meets Jack, another constant visitor to Tropical Gardens, who visits his wife daily. Barbara and Jack move slowly forward with their friendship but Barbara has to learn to let go of her worries and fears.

Stage Seven, beautifully written, tells the story of two vibrant, life loving women as they slide slowly into Alzheimer’s. Barbara and Jack are left with their memories and the “long goodbye” but they also want and need a future. This is an informative, moving story. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, DartFrog Books and Ruth F. Stevens for this ARC.

Barbara is a single mother who is caring for her own mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. The latter lives in a specialised institution for people with the disease. It is here that Barbara meets Jack, a man who cares for his wife who is on stage seven of the disease, the last stage before the inevitable. A relationship quickly develops between these two people who are linked by the fact that they are caring for a sick relative.

My opinion of this book is rather mixed. At first, I liked the idea. I know from experience that caring for a sick relative is difficult and it often seems that the only people who can understand us are those who are in the same situation as you are. As a result, I was not shocked by the love affair between Barbara and Jack, even though he is still married to his wife. For me it was not a form of adultery, his wife was already ‘gone’. So, from that point of view, I found the book interesting.

However, there were also moments that made me cringe. In particular, those about weight that were completely unnecessary to the story (if such comments are necessary at all). I also found it hard to get attached to the characters. Honestly, if I could have, I would have thrown Barbara’s sister out the window (and I live on the sixth floor). I also had trouble with the constant shifting of viewpoints. You go from ‘I’ with Barbara to the third person following way too many characters. This confused me more than anything else and, as a result, this book was not a smooth read for me.

I will give it an average of 2.5/5.

Thanks to NetGalley, DartFrog Books and Ruth F. Stevens for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.