The Day We Met

It is a very rainy Friday here in Florida.  It started raining yesterday and has not quit.  My dog, Doozy does not like the rain.  He is afraid of the thunder and the falling water!  He would not go outside unless another dog went with him (which was Tuxxe, the smallest dog)!  Doozy does provide much needed comedy relief to our household!  Rain does make it the perfect day to stay in and read.

The Day We Met by Rowan Coleman is a British novel.  Claire Armstrong is an English teacher, has a husband, two daughters, and has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.  Despite a new medication, Claire’s condition is rapidly deteriorating.  Her mother, Ruth has moved into the house to help take care of Claire and her three year old daughter, Esther.  Caitlin, Claire’s other daughter, is almost twenty-one, and is home from the university until the start of the new semester (or so everyone believes).  Claire’s husband, Greg is younger than Claire (they never gave his exact age) and they have only been married a short time (over a year).  Claire can no longer drive (since she forgot what a steering wheel was and plowed into a mailbox).  Now she is having to give up teaching which she loved.

Ruth tries to keep an eye on Claire, but sometimes Claire is just determined and escapes.  The first time she disappears in the rain and no one can find her.  Claire ends up at a coffee shop and meets a nice man named Ryan.  Ryan gives Claire his phone number.  Claire gets back home, but she will soon find a way to break free again.  Claire knows what she is doing is wrong, but she does it anyway (then she gets lost, forgets where she lives, who she is, and cannot find her way home).  Greg feels the loss of Claire the most.  Claire is withdrawing from Greg and acts like he is a stranger.  Greg gives Claire a journal to use.  Recommended by her counselor, Diane to use a journal as a memory book.  For Claire and the family to write down things to remember, events, etc.

Caitlin is not sure how to tell her mother and the family her news.  She knows she needs to tell them, but she keeps putting it off.  Claire has finally told Caitlin about her biological father.  Caitlin thought he didn’t want her, but it turns out he never knew about her.  Little Esther is a drama queen (her way or temper tantrums) and does not quite understand what is happening to her mother.  When Claire starts acting more childish, Esther is her co-conspirator (which leads to another escape to the park).  Claire ends up meeting Ryan again.  She really likes him and he cares for her.  Will Caitlin meet her biological father?  What is Caitlin hiding from everyone?  Will Claire and Greg be okay?  Who is Ryan?

The Day We Met is also has chapters where it goes back into the childhood of Claire and Caitlin as well as insight into how Ruth turned out the way she did (how she changed from a carefree hippie).  I have to admit it took me three tries to get through this book (I have been trying to read this book since March).  It does have a nice ending, but it is a depressing book.  I give The Day We Met 3 out of 5 stars.  It is an interesting story (about early onset Alzheimer’s and how it can affect a woman and her family).  I just think it is lacking.  I do not know if we needed all the drama with Caitlin added into the story as well as Esther and her over-the-top behavior.  I did like the twist with Ryan (though I did figure it out early on in the book).  There is some mild foul language in the book (thankfully, just a little) and it is written in the first person (from different character’s perspective).

I received a complimentary copy of The Day We Met from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  The review and opinions expressed are my own.

Have a nice afternoon and stay dry (if it is raining in your area). Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader