Thanks to Deb for this contribution.

Kent Haruf’s final book OUR SOULS AT NIGHT, was completed just before he died–as usual, a wool cap pulled over his head as he typed “blind” his first draft, never looking back to fuss or revise.  Also, as usual, it is written in understated, spare prose, a story set again in his fictitious Colorado small-town of Holt.  Addie Moore comes calling on her neighbor, Louis Waters, who is also a widower, & makes a bold proposition. Finding it difficult to sleep nights alone, she imagines a person beside her in bed could help. The book explores the friendship that develops as they delve into their younger lives (an accident that claims the life of Addie’s daughter paralleled by an affair Louis pursues—neither marriage ever re-stabilizing), regrets & unfulfilled dreams. Although they weather the response of locals, including the gossips & judgmental (+ enjoy dinners w/old Ruth), they have a tougher time with challenges their own families present—rooted in problems they can’t “fix,”  & centered on Addie’s grandson Jamie, who is moved in for the summer while his parents struggle with their marriage. Many adventures follow! The book ends (abruptly?), the main characters—forced apart by family, in touch by phone, speaking about the weather. Strong risk-ready Addie, manipulated by her unhappy son & desperate to maintain her relationship with grandson Jamie, has given up her home & is confined to an isolated care-unit.  We’re left with “two old people talking in the dark.”

Reviewer Erin Kodicek, says “Our Souls at Night was inspired, in part, by Haruf’s own marriage & the intimate, late-night conversations he & his wife relished . . . And just like Addie and Louis, Haruf proved that you’re never too old to reinvent yourself, take risks, find love, & write a great novel.”  Not all the Bookies agree on that assessment of the book. Some consider it a book of tenderness, insight (Haruf knows small towns!), & heartbreak. Others found it to lack nuance and felt manipulated by Haruf throughout.

Regardless of our hits on the book as a whole, we are unanimous in characterizing this as “one of the best discussions in a long time.” Noting that this book was written by a man, we asked how many women at the age of 70 would answer loneliness by turning to a new relationship with a man, or whether most women at that stage would turn to “Old Woman” traditions not shared by Old Men. This led to an intriguing conversation about ourselves, older women in general, + courage, openness, second chances & “women having something to offer at all ages

“ —grandparent roles figuring in the cycle, too (as with Addie’s grandson, Jamie, his well-being affecting Addie’s perspective).

The Witch of Blackbird Pond came up, too (a favorite of Margie’s)—maybe one to check out.