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A review by hookagoodbook
Our Short History by Lauren Grodstein
5.0
I received the ARC of this book through NetGalley for this honest review.
Karen Neulander becomes the sole provider for her son, Nathan, when she chooses to give birth to him even after the birth father informs her he doesn't want children. She is a very successful political consultant and is a partner in her own company and the two of them have a good life. When Karen finds out that she has stage IV ovarian cancer she decides to write a book for her son to read when he turns 18. Through her plight, she documents her thoughts, her dreams, her ups and downs as they occur with her treatment. During this time, her 6-year-old son asks to meet his father. Karen has been struggling with the treatments and their side effects, but her greatest challenge is giving up sole control of Nathan's future. She has carefully planned where he will live, go to school, etc. and the possible introduction of his father threatens to take away the one thing she feels she still controls.
The book is written as if it is the scattered ramblings of someone with attention issues, which is sometimes the case with treatment for cancer. The author goes from remembering, to what her young son is saying at the moment, to her physical issues, etc, with no forewarning to the reader. It is as if you are in her head, seeing the unedited version. The reader is with her on her journey. We share her sadness, her physical pain, her fears, and her hopes that she will be the lucky one and survive.
Very well written, fast paced and never boring.
Karen Neulander becomes the sole provider for her son, Nathan, when she chooses to give birth to him even after the birth father informs her he doesn't want children. She is a very successful political consultant and is a partner in her own company and the two of them have a good life. When Karen finds out that she has stage IV ovarian cancer she decides to write a book for her son to read when he turns 18. Through her plight, she documents her thoughts, her dreams, her ups and downs as they occur with her treatment. During this time, her 6-year-old son asks to meet his father. Karen has been struggling with the treatments and their side effects, but her greatest challenge is giving up sole control of Nathan's future. She has carefully planned where he will live, go to school, etc. and the possible introduction of his father threatens to take away the one thing she feels she still controls.
The book is written as if it is the scattered ramblings of someone with attention issues, which is sometimes the case with treatment for cancer. The author goes from remembering, to what her young son is saying at the moment, to her physical issues, etc, with no forewarning to the reader. It is as if you are in her head, seeing the unedited version. The reader is with her on her journey. We share her sadness, her physical pain, her fears, and her hopes that she will be the lucky one and survive.
Very well written, fast paced and never boring.