4 out of 5 stars
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Senior romance is a topic that is broached by only a few people, but come to think of it, everyone deserves to be loved at some point in their lives, no matter how old they are. In this book, Freefalling: a Novel of Senior Romance by Eme McAnam, we are transported into the accomplished mind of Charlotte, the successful sixty-year-old operator of a five-star hotel. Despite her successful career, Charlotte doesn't seem content with her life, as she seeks true love and happiness, which have proven to evade her for a long time. After a turbulent childhood filled with molestations by her now-sick father, she finds herself between a rock and a hard place, trying to bring herself to forgive her father for his past actions. She meets Brandon, a married man who professes his love for her despite his responsibilities, a love that she reciprocates but finds hard to deal with. She also considers her interactions with her attractive trail guide, Stefan, and she cannot trust herself to choose the right man for her. All the while dealing with the fear of Lewy Body dementia, a sickness that has roots in her family, Charlotte, like every other person, wishes to be loved and cherished, even though she once thought that she had no use for men. Can she navigate through her struggles and eventually find the peace she seeks, or will she be left deprived of the one thing that makes life worth living? Check out this subtle, thought-provoking novel to find out.
The author of this novel, Eme McAnam, clearly understood her mission before she went on to write this book. She made sure to write the things that she was deeply aware of, like the effects of Lewy Body dementia and the healing powers of the Celts, and I was intrigued by all of it. I enjoyed how the author detailed Charlotte's life from the perspective of a passerby, like someone who just stood in one place to observe the things going on. The romance part of this novel was thrilling to read, and I appreciated the deep feelings the characters had for each other as they declared themselves to be soulmates. I also felt the full effect of friendship in this novel, as I was pleased with the care Charlotte was given after her dementia started kicking in.
From the details in the book, I was well-informed of the symptoms of Lewy Body dementia, and I felt bad that anyone has to go through such. This novel was not just about romance; it was a tale of forgiveness, peace, love, and trust. This book was a subtle read, and it made me reflect, more often than not, on the situations of Charlotte, Brandon, and Stefan, and these reflections brought about a deeper connection to the characters.
The only aspect of this book that didn't impress me was the writing style. The author wrote it in such a way that short phrases and words were used to describe the scenes in the book. She didn't describe a scene with one sentence, as is widely done, but instead used short phrases and words with full stops after them to explain the scenes in the book. I couldn't accurately picture the scenes due to this, and I hope to state that explicitly.
This book contains only a few errors, and I can boldly state that it was professionally edited. All said and done, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars, and I deducted a star mostly because of the writing style, which seemed poor to me. Apart from this, however, this book was very fascinating, and I believe that many people will enjoy reading it.
This book contains sexual content, and I believe that it's more suitable for a mature audience. As stated in the title, it is a novel of senior romance, so I appropriately recommend it to senior readers who'd love a book about romantic love and true happiness.
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Freefalling
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