The Last Book

When I was in high school, I remember hearing Mom and Dad talk about the "last book" my grandfather, Lewell Thompson read before he died. Apparently he wasn't much of a reader but he seemed to soak up Mario Puzo's The Godfather with zeal. He read the book in Aruba during the spring of 1971, in the weeks before he succumbed to cancer. I've always remembered that bit of trivia and especially so last night as I was driving home from book club.

I've joined a new book club and this was my second meeting. It's tough to start in a new group; to discover who is who and who likes what and to try hard to "fit in" with people who already have history and connection one to another. I'm always the quiet one but made myself offer some comments about this book. The selection was Sarah Gruen's Water for Elephants which I read last summer. The plot line is unforgettable but of course, details fade. We had an interesting discussion over dinner and the book was given a good review overall by the group; concluding that Ms. Gruen had written a nicely crafted "light read".

Water for Elephants, will likely be the last book that Mom reads in her lifetime. She rarely manages anything longer than a newspaper article or a short piece in a magazine. I think her poor memory and concentration, not to mention impaired vision keep her from enjoying books anymore. Last summer one of her caregivers loaned her this book and she absolutely raved about it for weeks afterward. She loved the ending so much and cautioned me to be surprised by a "real twist". She was so taken with this book which features circus life in the Great Depression and has rich descriptions of the animals that she had me buy a copy for my brother for his birthday. When I told her yesterday that this was the book club selection, she had to think for a bit but it came back. She remarked, "that was a great one".

And Dad? Well, he was a great reader for many years just like Mom but difficulty with similar issues keeps him from reading books anymore. I believe the last book he read from cover to cover was a gift he received Christmas 2005, Zadie Smith's On Beauty. He gave the book to me to read after he finished and it certainly was all that; "beautiful".

The tears were flowing on my way home from book club as I thought about so called "last books". We all will have one. It felt sad to think that the once glorious book reading days are over for Mom and Dad but I believe this is true. We should all be so lucky to go out on a high note with an excellent last read.