“The Half-Life of Everything” by Deborah Carol Gang

Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “The Half-Life of Everything” by Deborah Carol Gang

Deborah Carol Gang, Author of “The Half-Life of Everything” has written a thought-provoking, intense, and  emotional novel.  The Genres for this Novel are Fiction, and Women’s Fiction. The author describes some of her characters as complex and complicated. Many aspects of this novel are heartbreaking, and in many ways it reads like a possible non-fiction book, but definitely is fiction.

Kate and David have been married for many years, and have 2 sons entering college. Kate develops early Alzheimers. In this book are many what ifs. David takes care of Kate at home as long as he can but she takes very long walks and gets lost. At this stage the boys are entering college, and there are decisions to be made.

The focus of this book at this point is that Kate is physically there, but not emotionally there any more, and what should  David do?  I have to mention in full disclosure, that I basically took care of my mother-in -law while she had Alzheimers and lived with us. I was teaching and commuting a decent distance,, and had to get help in the house. My father had a stroke at the same time, and my son was a teenager. Alzheimers is a very cruel and terrible disease for the person and family members.  I got very angry when I read some of the things the author came up with. I had to mention this to my husband who reminded me that this is only fiction. I read books on Alzheimers, and joined a support group with my husband  on learning about family members with Alzheimers.

While I do not agree with some of the things mentioned in this book, I do encourage you, the reader to read and judge for yourself.