What can you say about a novel about an eighty-five-year-old Jewish woman living in Chicago? Well, quite a bit actually. Being Esther reads almost like a memoir, and is, in one word, delightful! In this compact story, Esther recounts her life with her husband, their friends, her children, her parents, and anything else you can think of. There are quite a few references to the Chicago area, and Jewish traditions as well.
As she nears the end of her life, Esther has a few challenges. Her daughter would really like her to move into an assisted-living facility, which of course she refuses. Her daughter also thinks she should stop driving, but of course she continues. She wants Lucky Charms for breakfast, her daughter buys her bran flakes. And so and so on...
Luckily she has one friend in the same situation, and they speak on the phone every day to make sure the other has survived the previous evening (love it!) and go out to lunch weekly to commiserate (hysterical!).
Try this if you are in the mood for something different. It certainly is that.
Karen
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