Between dreams, memories and drug-induced hallucinations Ann Lord shows us her life. Bedridden and dying from cancer, Ann knows that she will not live to see the Fall. Her children are in and out of her room as are many visitors but Ann's thoughts are with the people and events from her past. In particular, one weekend on the coast of Maine when she attended her best friend's wedding and met a man who would change her life.
At 25 years old, Ann Grant was a career girl living in New York but in July 1954 she travels to Maine for her best friend's wedding. Lila's family and friends are finishing the wedding preparations at a beautiful cottage. There is a lot of drinking, carousing and joy and then there is Harris Arden, an enigmatic man who draws Ann's attention like no one has before. Throughout the weekend Ann sees how captivating Harris is to others and she even sees Lila's sister, Gigi, making a play for Harris but he seems to be drawn to Ann just as much as she is to him.
The wedding weekend in Maine serves to change many people's lives, and just as Ann and Harris live a passionate romance, there is much heartbreak in store for Lila's family and also for Ann and Harris.
Minot describes a love affair that although brief is intense, and intense enough that Ann keeps thinking about it as she lies dying. Ann murmurs and whispers his name and around her deathbed her children want to know who Harris was. They begin to realize that they don't know everything about their mom. That just as they live multi-faceted lives, their mother also had dreams and passions.
While the beginning of the novel can be a bit confusing as it takes a while to realize what are dreams and what is real, the reader is in for beautiful prose and attention to detail. There is sadness and sensitivity making this a breathtaking portrayal of a woman saying goodbye to life.
Added 09/07