3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Upon reading the description for the novel Blue Hydrangeas: An Alzheimer’s love story by Marianne Sciucco, I wondered how much The Notebook (book and/or movie) may have influenced the author. In fact, this was part of the draw for me as, admittedly, Nicholas Sparks novels can be a bit of a guilty pleasure, The Notebook less guilty than most and a particular treasure with the addition of Ryan Gosling. After reading this relatively short, 180-page (on my Kindle, though the paperback is listed at 254 pages), quick read, I’ve come to the conclusion that this book could actually tell the untold portion of The Notebook—the part after young Allie and Noah reunite but before the older couple unwinds in the nursing home—if Allie and Noah become Jack and Sara (still an artist!) and start a bed and breakfast in the interim.
Blue Hydrangeas begins with a prologue, set nine years before the main portion of the novel, that occurs the evening of the day Sara is first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Jack promises to stay with her, to keep her at home… and then we jump nine years into the future, to see just what it has taken to keep that promise. Told mainly in their present, the story weaves in many of Jack’s memories of their lives together—from the first day they met, 57 years ago, through their marriage and lives together, raising kids, running a bed and breakfast, and the first tendrils of the disease as it crept into their lives. (These memories could have even, ahem, been written in a notebook… but that’s an entirely different story!) In this way, their story is fleshed out so that we see the characters as young adults, becoming older and living rich, full lives, before they are the older people presented with Sara fully in the grip of Alzheimer’s and Jack struggling to keep up with each incident as the disease progresses further and still further. Jack says that he initially plays along with her memory lapses and “when morning came, things always seemed better and he gave each new day another go. The days rolled into weeks, months, and then years, and here they were, together at home, just the two of them with Sara’s Alzheimer’s.”
We see that the disease has progressed to the point where it is too much for Jack to take care of Sara alone, though he refuses to accept that. He is getting hurt, has angina, and is getting sick, all trying to shoulder the burden of a sick spouse. Their B&B has closed—too much work in addition to everything else, too many mistakes, too much cleaning and cooking, too many opportunities for Sara’s disease to take over—and Jack has part-time help to keep Sara at home, yet he still cannot proved the quality of care she needs, cannot be there for her 24 hours a day. He cannot leave her alone, never knowing if she will zone out or go into a manic phase, frantically searching for something long forgotten, or—worse yet—wander off completely and get lost. Sara doesn’t eat on her own, doesn’t bathe voluntarily, and becomes frightened, frustrated, and angry. She lashes out and they both get hurt, ending up in the hospital.
Once Jack and Sara receive the medical attention they need and begin to improve, hard truths must be faced. Jack has been resistant to change, on Sara’s behalf—resisting removing her from their home, resistant to acknowledge the possibility of not being there for her, of not being enough on his own, to take care of her, by himself. Ultimately, he is resisting the idea that death may part them and, by leaving her side now, he is opening up the possibility of her leaving him forever. Their doctors, family, and friends all encourage Jack to bring Sara to an assisted-living facility. He finally agrees, at least for a week-long trial, and here we see the different experiences coloring each perception—the doctors have seen many patients go into extended care and are thinking primarily of Jack and Sara’s immediate health needs and not necessarily of the difficult decisions and change that come along with it; Sara and Jack’s best friends have recently been through a similar experience with her mother, so they receive the compassion and understanding from someone with knowledge of their struggle on a personal level; and finally, their son and his wife and children, who have not been through this before but who only want what’s best for their whole family. This is one of the most interesting aspects of the book, seeing the perspective and true caring of each “outsider,” knowing that ultimately Jack must decide what is best for Sara and, therefore, himself. The spontaneous decision he makes on one of Sara’s more lucid days ties together many of the experiences throughout their life’s journey and recommits their devotion to each other while opening his eyes to the reality of Alzheimer’s and acceptance of their new way of living with each other.
Though I initially compared this novel to The Notebook, I in no way mean to diminish it as its own, standalone work. Ms. Sciucco has written a sensitive and accurate portrayal of the disease and its effects both on its victims and their caregivers and loved ones. It is evident that she is “not a nurse who writes but a writer who happens to be a nurse” as she both writes well and stays true to the experience of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. Written as a novel, Blue Hydrangeas could easily be a true story. There are a few moments that fall a bit flat, and we don’t see nearly as much from Sara’s perspective as I would have loved (though I understand the difficulty in writing even the portions that do follow her increasing confusion from inside her mind), but overall the writing stays sharp and poignant. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has gone through the struggle of watching a family member or loved one deteriorate due to this debilitating disease. I would also recommend it as a strong story of enduring yet realistic love, particularly to those (like me!) who are firmly in The Notebook camp. I would award Blue Hydrangeas: An Alzheimer's love story three and a half stars if possible—this is a great read but maybe not for everybody—but as I cannot, I rate this book three out of four stars.
******
Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer's Love Story
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Like JennyS's review? Post a comment saying so!
) 
