I feel as if I’ve lost my friends.

I’ve completed all three books I’ve been reading and I feel as if my friends have moved away.

It's over

It’s over

The Illegal by Lawrence Hill ended as I parked my car in the garage. Keita Ali and The Bombay Booty, Candace Freixa, John Falconer, Viola Hill, Mrs. Ivernia Beech, Charity Ali, Lula DiStefano, Anton Hamm, Freedom State and Zantoroland, and the Ortiz Sea, Saunders, AfricTown, Rocco Calder,Graeme Wellington, Yvette Peters. During the audio reading of this book, for the second time, I’d wake up from my night time sleep thinking about Keita Ali and the Bomby Booty. As I looked at the immigrants cleaning in the office towers, working as bank tellers, security guards in malls and department stores, and gathering outside of government offices, I’d think of AfricTown and Lula DiStefano. As the media poured out news about the US presidential race, I’d think of Graeme Wellington. And when older women spoke of the difficulties in making ends meet on their pensions, I’d think of Ivernia Beech. There are so very many parallels to the contemporary Canadian life that is reflected in Lawrence Hill’s Illegal. It was a melancholy moment when the ending came as Thank you for listening to an audible book.

Great Characters

Great Characters

I have been reading Kylie Gilmore The opposite of Wild while I walked on my treadmill. I enjoyed this Clover Park novel because the characters were so well formed that I knew where I was every time I returned to the novel. Liz Garner was the woman who cared too much for her younger sister, Daisy and although well meaning, sometimes the helping really hinders. But the need to assist led her to Mrs. Maggie O’Hare and her grandsons, especially Ryan, the policeman turned private detective. In some ways this reminded me of a song that was popular many years ago about an office worker who no one paid any attention to but on Fridays after work she broke free and danced her heart out. This story also explores how we may be able to convince ourselves that we do not want to be emotionally involved but rather just enjoy a sexual relationship with no strings attached. But there are always strings.

Family Bonds

Family Bonds

And finally, a hard cover book I picked up at a book sale. daniel isn’t talking by marti leimbach published in 2006. This is a story about labeling children and being courageous against what the experts say. The toll it takes on the family and also cross cultures. Melanie is American and who went to London after losses in her life. When her British, soon to be husband, Stephen asks, “What brings you to England?” Melanie answers that she really doesn’t know. He laughed and said, “You didn’t just get lost.” She said, “Yes, that’s exactly it. I got lost.”

Life is pretty good, Melanie tries to fit into Stephen’s extended family but expectations about what a family would look like didn’t include an American.

This book explores what it means to be a family and the sacrifices the members will make to keep the unit together.

I didn’t actually know until the end, what Melanie would do to keep her Emily, Daniel and Andy together.

She surprised me in a good way. She wasn’t lost anymore.

Now you can understand why I’m feeling slightly adrift. My friends are only a memory, but also the signs of very good authors who held my attention, through driving and making dinners, through my treadmill exercise, and finally as my bedtime and breakfast read.