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A review by justgeekingby
The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson
5.0
As a part of my spot on a blog tour for this book I had the honour of interviewing E.M. Anderson about The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher! You can read the interview discussing The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher and more over on my blog Just Geeking by.
Content warnings:
I adored The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson. From start to finish, this rollercoaster of a modern fantasy novel was absolutely brilliant. Anderson has spun a rich tale that subverts the usual chosen one trope, putting an eighty-three-year-old at the centre of the story rather than the usual young person.
Edna Fisher had been preparing herself for life in her retirement home without one of the few people who brighten up her days. One of the nurses, Benjamin, who is really the only one on staff who puts up with Edna and her eccentricities, is heading off to follow his dreams and study magic. It’s something Edna has supported fully, but she’s going to miss him when he’s gone, and he feels the same. So when a wizard from the Council of Wizards suddenly turns up to inform Edna that she’s been named the chosen one to fight the current big bad, they’re both up for one last adventure together.
It’s an adventure of a lifetime, that’s for sure, and they pick up a few other people along the way. To name a few, there’s Clem, a teenager who’s out for revenge, the mysterious elf Kiernan, and Amir, a famous carpet maker. Every character that Anderson has created is wonderfully written, with witty snappy dialogue, and strong backstories. They’re also so very messy in a way that echoes life because life is messy. I found them all to be incredibly relatable, and this made the emotional scenes pack a punch. There is a huge twist that you will definitely need some tissues for!
Everything about this book is just so well written, and Anderson has found the perfect balance of light-hearted fun and humour with dark, serious topics. She handles difficult issues with care and sensitivity, giving them a prominent place in the story rather than shuffling them off to a side story. It’s no surprise then that The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher is chock-full of representation and damn proud of it. With multiple LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and disabled characters, this isn’t a tick-box type of book. Characters come in every shape, size and colour – and age, as The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher pointedly reminds us – and it’s fantastic to see.
From a disabled perspective, it was great to see scenes with Edna and Benjamin, and him caring for her as a friend. Little things like her asking for her pain meds, and struggling with pain or stairs. Benjamin has anxiety, and the representation of anxiety in this book is brilliant, especially in the way that Edna notices things about how Benjamin interacts with others socially. Additionally, there’s another character whose condition is not formally identified on page but looks similar to ME/CFS or fibromyalgia and is cared for by their teenage daughter.
The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher brings the traditional elements of fantasy into the modern world and successfully mixes the two together. This is a fun-filled adventure about found family, magic, dragons and so many subverted tropes. There’s a serious heart to this novel that just makes it even more special. This is one fantasy novel you do not want to miss out on.
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Content warnings:
Spoiler
This book contains scenes of violence, blood, gore and death. There is an ongoing theme throughout the book of abuse (physical and emotional). While it does not occur on page, it appears in discussions and flashback scenes. A character dies off page from injuries sustained from physical abuse. Many characters have unresolved trauma as a result.I adored The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson. From start to finish, this rollercoaster of a modern fantasy novel was absolutely brilliant. Anderson has spun a rich tale that subverts the usual chosen one trope, putting an eighty-three-year-old at the centre of the story rather than the usual young person.
Edna Fisher had been preparing herself for life in her retirement home without one of the few people who brighten up her days. One of the nurses, Benjamin, who is really the only one on staff who puts up with Edna and her eccentricities, is heading off to follow his dreams and study magic. It’s something Edna has supported fully, but she’s going to miss him when he’s gone, and he feels the same. So when a wizard from the Council of Wizards suddenly turns up to inform Edna that she’s been named the chosen one to fight the current big bad, they’re both up for one last adventure together.
It’s an adventure of a lifetime, that’s for sure, and they pick up a few other people along the way. To name a few, there’s Clem, a teenager who’s out for revenge, the mysterious elf Kiernan, and Amir, a famous carpet maker. Every character that Anderson has created is wonderfully written, with witty snappy dialogue, and strong backstories. They’re also so very messy in a way that echoes life because life is messy. I found them all to be incredibly relatable, and this made the emotional scenes pack a punch. There is a huge twist that you will definitely need some tissues for!
Everything about this book is just so well written, and Anderson has found the perfect balance of light-hearted fun and humour with dark, serious topics. She handles difficult issues with care and sensitivity, giving them a prominent place in the story rather than shuffling them off to a side story. It’s no surprise then that The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher is chock-full of representation and damn proud of it. With multiple LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and disabled characters, this isn’t a tick-box type of book. Characters come in every shape, size and colour – and age, as The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher pointedly reminds us – and it’s fantastic to see.
From a disabled perspective, it was great to see scenes with Edna and Benjamin, and him caring for her as a friend. Little things like her asking for her pain meds, and struggling with pain or stairs. Benjamin has anxiety, and the representation of anxiety in this book is brilliant, especially in the way that Edna notices things about how Benjamin interacts with others socially. Additionally, there’s another character whose condition is not formally identified on page but looks similar to ME/CFS or fibromyalgia and is cared for by their teenage daughter.
The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher brings the traditional elements of fantasy into the modern world and successfully mixes the two together. This is a fun-filled adventure about found family, magic, dragons and so many subverted tropes. There’s a serious heart to this novel that just makes it even more special. This is one fantasy novel you do not want to miss out on.