Fun with Alzheimer's

Lunch at the Piccadilly by Clyde Edgerton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was read by my book group a number of years ago when I was still caring for a parent (or maybe two - I've forgotten how long ago it was) with dementia so I opted to not read it.  I have my own painful and/or cute stories about elderly people and I didn't need more.  Then the library read Walking Across Egypt by Edgerton and that was so good that when I saw this book on display I decided to read it as well. 
Carl visits his aunt in a reasonably nice nursing home. She wants to go home, but he can see that she needs someone to keep an eye on her - and that she needs to stop driving, but he hasn't the gumption to bring it up. He also has his eye on Anna, the manager and is drawn into the orbit of a preacher who thinks churches/synagogues/mosques should merge with nursing homes so that old people get visited at least once a week.  Carl's life is enriched by these people, although caring for his aunt is tiring and writing songs with the preacher comes with the price of having to listen to the sermons.  Carl's aunt and the little old ladies get up to all kinds of mischief because of their memory problems and willfulness, which comes off as cute and charming.  The aunt's health declines rather quickly and her memory problems become more problematic and it was more depressing for me.  Of course, I cried.  I always cry all over books, but at least I didn't get angry like I do when I feel like I'm being manipulated.
I think maybe I like Walking Across Egypt better, although that book would easily turn into a tragedy if it went any further.  This book was good, though. 



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