Our Souls at Night

I had seen the movie (with Robert Redford and Jane Fonda) before I read the book. I was struck by the sparse style of writing that conveyed such deep emotions. Maybe it's my age. . .

For such a short book, it really packs a wallop. In this Mayberry-like town, Addie Moore, a lonely widow connects with Louis Waters, a lonely widower down the block, by asking him to talk and sleep with her at night because “The nights are the worst. Don't you think?”

So begins the tale that shifts not just the lives of Addie and Louis, but their relatives, friends, and nosey inhabitants of their small town.

I guess the most surprising part of the book was that people, some strangers, thought their opinion about the relationship should matter. Why??? It didn't matter to Addie and, eventually, Louis who began the relationship more reluctantly. However, when Addie's son objected to “People your age meeting in the dark like you do,” it threatens to rip Addie's family apart.

This especially touching looks at how our emotional needs can change as we grow older (and grow as individuals) struck a chord with me. I liked the way Addie and Louis came to know each other by talking and spending time together. I enjoyed the secrets they shared with each other, and how they looked at life and viewed their past relationships. I think it's an important book and needs to be shared and considered widely.