Days Of Awe by Lauren Fox- 256 pages
Book Blurb:
Only a year ago Isabel Moore was married, the object of adoration of her ten-year-old daughter, and thought she knew everything about her wild, extravagant, beloved best friend, Josie. But in that one short year: her husband moved out and rented his own apartment; her daughter grew into a moody insomniac; and Josie — impulsive, funny, secretive Josie — was killed behind the wheel in a single-car accident. As Isabel tries to make sense of this shattering loss and unravel the months leading up to Josie’s death, she comes to understand the shifts, large and small, that can upend a friendship and an entire life.
My Review: 5 stars
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Days Of Awe is a book that has left an indelible imprint on my heart. I was at an event that I was co-hosting for book clubs and the Random House rep, bless her heart, handed me a copy of Days Of Awe. She said it was her pick for best book she’d read this year. Sold. Done. Thrilled to own a copy. But she followed up by telling me it’s about a woman in her mid 40s whose best friend suddenly dies.
Wait, what? Now it’s kryptonite. No. Too close to home.
At 42 years old, I lost my best friend and I couldn’t imagine reading about someone else’s pain and loss. I had just survived my own! But after seeing the glowing reviews, I felt healed (perhaps) and strong enough to dig in. After all, this is fiction and NOT MY STORY!
We know the heart of the book is the death of the protagonist’s best friend, and she has many incredibly accurate and heart wrenching quotes about that very subject. But this book is so much more. Mothering, being mothered, love, marriage, the hierarchy of grief, mean girls, starting over and religion all blend together for a wonderful story of one woman’s coming to terms with her new “normal”.
Aside from that, it was the writing in this book that is so on top of the game. Her way with words, the descriptive nature and perfect use of metaphors will keep you wanting more. Well done!
Quotes I liked:
That’s what my brain felt like on the day of my best friend’s funeral and for many weeks after: a confounding map of twisted, barely navigable roads that were long and tangled and led nowhere or doubled back without warning and ended up where they had began.”
-“You can’t preserve anything: every happy moment is already on its way to becoming nostalgia. That’s the problem.”
-“And maybe the world cracks open in those moments and a little bit of light comes in, and just for a few seconds I can not only imagine being happy in a world without Josie, but I’m actually living in that world. And then the crack seals up and I’m back on familiar ground, and I remember to miss my friend, and I am relieved.
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Starting it now.
Enjoy Sadie!
Just put it on my list to read. I’m still reading A Luttle Life which, by the way is very ,very good at times so hard to read but I’m loving it
I think you’ll really like it Ann. A little life is so very good but can be challenging as well.
I’m reading it now.
Hope you enjoy it!
‘It’s on my “read next” list, as I just finished A Little Life (OMG) what a book! Now I am in the middle of The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Yep, I think I must be a masochist. I love this site and I use your reviews and ratings to find my next read.
Wow, you’re too funny which you may need to be based on your recent reading list! I too loved A Little Life and still find myself (months later) thinking about the characters. Enjoy Days Of Awe.
Thanks for connecting and Happy Reading!