Ooh, this book packs an emotional punch that left me reeling, but unable to put it down. I read the entire thing in one night. Woke up the next morning with what felt like a hangover.
The Worst Day of My Life, So Far stars Jeanne Roth, who at the age of 40, has returned to her shitty little hometown to care for her mother, who was never very nice to her even before the Alzheimer’s set in. Jeanne is divorced, lonely, jobless and unhappy. Her mother alternates between a state of childlike feebleness and full-on rage. But Jeanne promised her father she would care for her mother after his death, and cannot break that promise.
As she spends her days trapped in a house in the country with her mother, Jeanne thinks back over her life: her mostly unhappy upbringing by a woman who was never satisfied with Jeanne’s looks, dropping out of college to get married and start a family, her divorce, all the chances she missed out on.
It sounds depressing, and it is, but Jeanne’s attitude and internal musings lift it up. She’s funny, smart and has a nasty sense of humor. She finds the ability to improve her life, and while she may never be the person she could have been, she finds some happiness in the end. It was really a well-written story, difficult as some parts may have been to handle.
Wow! Thanks for such a great review! I’m so glad WORST DAY spoke to you, and I appreciate the time you took to write about it. Live long and prosper.
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