Posted in
|
Alice Kuipers
|
|
||
|
Genre
|
|||
|
Media
|
Book
|
||
Publisher | MacMillan | ||
ISBN | 978-033045645 | ||
|
Reviewer
|
Vicky
|
Synopsis
Mom, I went to the store. See inside the fridge. I watered the plants. I cleaned out Peter's cage. I tidied the sitting room. And the kitchen. And I did the washing up. I'm going to bed. Your live-in servant, Claire. "Life on the Refrigerator Door" is told exclusively through notes exchanged by Claire and her mother, Elizabeth, during the course of a life-altering year. Their story builds to an emotional crescendo when Elizabeth is diagnosed with breast cancer. Stunningly sad but ultimately uplifting, this is a clever, moving, and original portrait of the relationship between a daughter and mother. It is about how we live our lives constantly rushing, and never making time for those we love. It is also an elegy to how much can be said in so few words, if only we made the time to say them.
Review
This quite a quirky way of telling a story of missed opportunities in communication until it is too late. I felt very much for Claire who was pretty much left to her own devices while her mother appeared to be married to her job as a doctor. As we follow their conversations we see how their relationship lurches all over the place as a result of Claire's mother's inability to say what was really wrong with her.
This is a heart rending story and Alice Kuipers is an excellent story teller and leads us on quite a journey of what could have been.
I very much enjoyed the book and it's moral of don't leave communication with your loved one's until it is too late. It is a salutary tale and one I highly recommend for both adults and children.
If you enjoy what we provide, please consider making a donation.
