I am pleased to report two worthwhile books to add to your reading list. The first is Forever, by Pete Hamill. It was originally recommended by a woman at the airport, and I'm glad she steered me that way. I do have to caution readers to be prepared to suspend reality for a while. Once you accept that the inconceivable is conceivable, the rest flows nicely.
Forever is about living forever. Cormac O'Connor doesn't wish for this; it is given to him as a gift. To make sure it isn't a curse, he is given a way out eventually, if he chooses to take it. This story is rich in Irish history and culture, and particularly rich in the history and culture of Manhattan. My only gripe is that sometimes there is too much repetition of past events as Cormac mulls over his lengthy history. But as someone who would very much like to have the choice to live as long as I choose to live, the book offers lots to think about.
In Tilt, by Elizabeth Burns, readers are taken inside the world of parenting an autistic child. The story is sometimes funny, often sad, and occasionally terrifying. Bridget Fox's own descent into life-threatening depression and mental illness is perfectly understandable. Sometimes madness is an acceptable way to cope when you just can't cope anymore, when you need a buffer of time to learn a new way to cope.
