Book Review: The Red Address Book

As I read The Red Address Book, I hoped it would be a title I could recommend to my mother-in-law. After all, it is about a woman in her mid-90s who reviews her life by skimming through entries in her address book. I imagine my mother-in-law could relate to Doris's remorse at the passing of so many influential individuals in her life. She has one last lifeline - a great niece, Jenny, who lives far away in America. As she writes about the various intersections with people, she continues to connect with Jenny on Skype.

Doris's life takes her across the globe, from Sweden to France to the United States to England and back to Sweden. What a touching tale! Alas, I'm not sure I will recommend it because it has a few raunchy patches detailing repeated rape and a resulting pregnancy that the woman scorns. Still, the storytelling in the book is beautiful, and the ending made me want to sit down and write out my own memories to capture for my family. I devoured the book in the space of a few days and am glad to have read it, despite the difficult scenes.