After pushing Saturday a bit to the limits, Sunday was a day to catch up on sleep, spend time with friends in a recovery lunch and cardio-offset a Christmas cigar. I paired The Holiday with reading water and my rocket card writing by the light of candles and my red tree. Quaint. Content.
When I crawled into bed, I wanted the feel of a book rather than my tablet and went scrounging around the bookcase to see what was untouched. I picked up Don't Go Where I Can't Follow because it was short and I knew it had good reviews. I'd purchased this and two others by Nilsen in August. The books sat on the counter for about a month before they were packed, moved, and unpacked during my autumn transition.
It sat waiting until I was ready.
This was a read that I both wanted to turn the page to see the next space and at the same time did not. I knew where I was headed as a reader and I wasn't sure I was equipped for this peek into another's grief. The book is a beautiful collection of postcards, a letter, photos and travel anecdotes fading into excepts of writing by Mr. Nilsen at Ms. Weaver's bedside. The end through drawings and words is particularly touching. I don't think I stopped crying from page 73 onward.
It is such a beautiful thing when two people find each other, admit love, and take on the challenges of life as a unit. They weather unexpected events, find laughter, and choose to stick it out to the end. As GBC P@1ge has recently reminded me, all relationships end, one way or another. Nilsen gives us a look at the other, and it reminds my heart to keep hope that deep connections are always possible, even if they are way too short to be fair.
Beautiful review of your weekend, the book, and how the book affected you. Adding it to my to-read list.
ReplyDelete