Making rounds with Oscar

I think this one hit me harder on a personal level than many other reviewers from reading the other reviews here. I love cats, and I'm terrified of dementia/Alzheimer's. Forgetting faces, being unable to read books and losing the memories I have are all things I'm afraid of happening to me. Combine these two ideas in one book? I had to have tissues in my car going to and from work.

Oscar is a cat and resident at the Steere House in Providence, Rhode Island, which specializes in dementia cases. Many cats (and other animals) live there as well, but it's Oscar in particular who seems to have a special gift. He always seems to know when a patient's time has come, and is always there to provide comfort at the end. Nobody seems to know how he knows, and the book focuses on Dr. Dosa and his sort-of quest to figure out how Oscar does what he does.

The problem many have with the book is that the book isn't dedicated to figuring out Oscar's talent. Instead, the book tells a series of short stories about residents at Steere House whose time had come, and Oscar's role in helping families come to terms with the passing of their loved one. I loved all of these stories. Every last one of them. Each provides a look into the life and passing of a dementia patient, and it was somewhat comforting to read about their last days with loved ones. Some of them end happier than others, but all of them touched me deeply in different ways.

Another reviewer summarized it best: “As a book about a cat, it was disappointing. As a book about dementia, it was a success.” Temper your expectations accordingly, and you won't be disappointed.