Georgina is recently separated, and trying to adjust to life as a single mother to two teenagers. When she becomes a carer for Alzheimer's sufferer Aine Quigley, she wonders if she has taken on more than she can handle. Aine is at times confused, at times lucid, and in these lucid moments the two strike up a solid friendship. Georgina tries to help Aine recall the important times in her past, and we get to see the Aine who is steadily being left behind by the encroaching dementia. This was a wonderfully written book, dealing sensitively with the issues of dementia. The story is set both in present day, with the reader observing Aine's confusion and frustration as Alzheimer's takes hold, as well as her developing friendship with Georgina, and in 1960s Derry and Italy, where Aine reminisces about her youth and her vibrant sister Charlotte. Georgina is struggling to come to terms with the end of her marriage, and while she initially has doubts about taking on this carer's position, especially when she first meets Aine's nephew Jonathan, it is clear that soon Georgina needs Aine almost as much as Aine needs Georgina. Their friendship is touching and poignant. I would highly recommend this book. (LO)
Still You, by Claire Allan, is about two very different women who come together to find friendship, peace and hope.The summary says: "Two women. Two very different lives. One remarkable friendship. Aine Quigley never had big dreams. She never wanted to travel the world or go on great adventures. All she wanted was a family to call her own - a home filled with laughter and love and a lifetime of happy memories. Now in her twilight years she finds herself alone in a big house - the doors to many of the rooms locked to her, struggling to hold on to her past as dementia takes hold. Georgina Casey couldn't be more different. She did want it all and she had it all, for a while. But forced to change careers to make ends meet for her family, she finds herself taking on a job as a carer - a job she feels ill prepared for. Her last client on her first day is Aine and the pair bond through their triumph and tribulations. Helping each other deal with the past, and cope with what the future may bring, the women forge a bond of friendship that will change how you look at life forever." Still You is out in September 2015.