#BookReview: THE WIDE CIRCUMFERENCE OF LOVE by Marita Golden

Summary: You just can’t plan for this kind of thing.

Diane Tate certainly hasn’t. She never expected to slowly lose her talented husband to the debilitating effects of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. As a respected family court judge, she’s spent her life making tough calls, but when her sixty-eight-year-old husband’s health worsens and Diane is forced to move him into an assisted living facility, it seems her world is spinning out of control.

As Gregory’s memory wavers and fades, Diane and her children must reexamine their connection to the man he once was—and learn to love the man he has become. For Diane’ daughter Lauren, it means honoring her father by following in his footsteps as a successful architect. For her son Sean, it means finding a way to repair the strained relationship with his father before it’s too late. Supporting her children in a changing landscape, Diane remains resolute in her goal to keep her family together—until her husband finds love with another resident of the facility. Suddenly faced with an uncertain future, Diane must choose a new path—and discover her own capacity for love.

Review: I don't imagine that anyone starts out their marriage thinking about the days when they'll have to take care of their partner or turn care of that person over to someone else. As the wife of a prominent architect, and no shrinking violet herself, Diane faces the tough decision to put her husband, Gregory, in an assisted living facility when Alzheimer's takes control of him. Shown through Marita Golden's caring attention to characters and words, it's not an easy decision for her and, at times, she questions if it was the right one.

Golden tackles the topic of Alzheimer's and how it affects families from the points of view of both partner and children. Overachieving daughter Lauren is a daddy's girl and, as such, has a closer relationship to her father. Following in his footsteps and joining his architectural firm allows her to stay in close proximity to him. It also allows her to cover up for his odd behavior and forgetfulness, while staying in denial about his illness. Her brother, Sean, has always believed himself to be a disappointment to his parents, but especially his father. And now that his father no longer recognizes him, he believes that he's lost the chance to make him proud.

I was so caught up in these characters and their emotions. Diane is a strong and brave woman. Watching a shell of a man you've built a life with slip into the arms of another woman, knowing that he's not the Gregory you once knew, has to be difficult. Making the decision to find a piece of happiness yourself and finding a man patient enough to wait for you to get to that place? Amazing.

This is such a great read. I can't praise Marita Golden enough for taking the time to explore the realities that come with caring for loved ones and how it affects everyone around them. It's been a minute since she's published anything but this was well worth the wait.

300 p.
Published: March 2017
Disclaimer: Copy of book received from publisher; opinions are my own.

New Books Coming Your Way, March 28, 2017

The Wide Circumference of Love by Marita Golden
300 p.
Fiction; African-American

You just can’t plan for this kind of thing.

Diane Tate certainly hasn’t. She never expected to slowly lose her talented husband to the debilitating effects of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. As a respected family court judge, she’s spent her life making tough calls, but when her sixty-eight-year-old husband’s health worsens and Diane is forced to move him into an assisted living facility, it seems her world is spinning out of control.

As Gregory’s memory wavers and fades, Diane and her children must reexamine their connection to the man he once was—and learn to love the man he has become. For Diane’ daughter Lauren, it means honoring her father by following in his footsteps as a successful architect. For her son Sean, it means finding a way to repair the strained relationship with his father before it’s too late. Supporting her children in a changing landscape, Diane remains resolute in her goal to keep her family together—until her husband finds love with another resident of the facility. Suddenly faced with an uncertain future, Diane must choose a new path—and discover her own capacity for love.

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole
320 p.
Historical fiction

Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice and an eidetic memory. Trading in her life of freedom in Massachusetts, she returns to the indignity of slavery in the South—to spy for the Union Army.

Malcolm McCall is a detective for Pinkerton’s Secret Service. Subterfuge is his calling, but he’s facing his deadliest mission yet—risking his life to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia.

Two undercover agents who share a common cause—and an undeniable attraction—Malcolm and Elle join forces when they discover a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy’s favor. Caught in a tightening web of wartime intrigue, and fighting a fiery and forbidden love, Malcolm and Elle must make their boldest move to preserve the Union at any cost—even if it means losing each other…

Hope Blooms by Jamie Pope
320 p.
Romance

In one shattering instant, schoolteacher Cassandra Miller lost everything that mattered to her. Stricken with guilt and sorrow, she has no reason to care about tomorrow. The last person she wants help from is the man she wants to forget. In childhood, Wylie Everett was her cherished best friend. In adulthood, he was the secret lover who left her without explanation. Now he’s the person who won’t let her go down without a fight. And as he renews her joy in small things, and challenges her to take a fresh perspective, the desire they once shared burns more fiercely than ever—and proves anything but safe.

An ex-Marine, Wylie has always loved Cass, though their backgrounds were as different as could be. Years ago, he walked away believing he could never be good enough for her. But he’s never stopped regretting his decision. Now, helping her heal is the only way he can make amends, and hopefully make up for lost time. But their rekindled passion will be tested by pain he’s never resolved—and mistakes for which forgiveness may not be enough. Can he and Cass find one last way to move forward, and risk rebuilding their lives…together?

Map to the Stars by Adrian Matejka
128 p.
Poetry

Map to the Stars, the fourth poetry collection from National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist Adrian Matejka, navigates the tensions between race, geography, and poverty in America during the Reagan Era. In the time of space shuttles and the Strategic Defense Initiative, outer space is the only place equality seems possible, even as the stars serve to both guide and obscure the earthly complexities of masculinity and migration. In Matejka’s poems, hope is the link between the convoluted realities of being poor and the inspiring possibilities of transcendence and escape—whether it comes from Star Trek, the dream of being one of the first black astronauts, or Sun Ra’s cosmic jazz.