Joseph Falank

The parts of this book about Alzheimer's really hit home for me, having 3 family members that died from the disease. If the trauma related to that is sensitive for you then this book may trigger you and not be for you. However, I didn't think it was an overwhelming part of the book. The author writes in a very realistic style that made me feel as if I was sitting with him while he told me a story. I liked that and it made the book easy to read. It's an honest book about a single and newly divorced father and how he is relating to his new life and changing family structure.
… (mais)

Thank you to LibraryThing, Joseph Falank and BHC Press for the ability to read this advanced copy of Renewal.

Renewal follows Malcolm, a high-school English teacher, writer and son of Dennis who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and is currently being taken care of by his other son, Randy. When Malcolm receives a phone call from Randy about their father's health status, he drops everything to help and plan for his father's future. Their mother Nora, passed away two years ago from Lung Cancer which makes this all harder on both brothers.

Renewal is about forgiveness, death, and renewal of their lives after heartbreak. Joseph Falank writes about Alzheimer's so well and it is absolutely heartbreaking at times. I have had multiple family members who have suffered from the disease and Joseph lays out Malcolm's experience with such finesse. Malcolm takes the experience of taking care of his father, after 2 years of not speaking to him, and changes his perspective on a lot of things. He slowly makes amends with not only his father, but with the mistakes, he has made in his life. Despite being a shorter novel, the character growth from Malcolm is evident.

I was invested in this book from the very beginning. The way that Falank wrote this novel, feels like Malcolm was telling me the story in person. It all flowed so nicely and kept me interested and wanting to know more as the story went on. Renewal overall did an amazing job at telling the story of family, Alzheimer's, and renewal.… (mais)