Thirty-eight-year-old paramedic Anna has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, like her mother, and is having to move into an assisted-living facility. Her twin brother, Jack, chose Rosalind House because another young man, Luke, lives there – he has dementia and speech problems. Otherwise all the other residents are elderly. But when Anna and Luke forge a relationship, not everyone welcomes this last chance at happiness. Meanwhile Eve becomes the cook at Rosalind House after her well-to-do family falls on hard times. When she finds Anna’s note reminding herself that she wanted to see out her days with Luke, she risks losing even more. This is a poignant, thought-provoking story about whether love can transcend memory loss. Told from the viewpoint of Anna, Eve and her daughter Clementine who share that common bond of having their lives destroyed by events beyond their control, there’s also a wonderful supporting cast at the care home. Definitely one for your book club.
The Things We Keep, by Sally Hepworth, is about the bonds that are forged at an assisted living facility. The summary says: "Rosalind House might not be the first place you'd expect to find new love and renewal, but within the walls of this assisted living facility two women have their lives changed forever. Anna Forster, in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease at only thirty-eight years of age, knows that her twin, Jack, has chosen Rosalind House because another young resident, Luke, lives there. As if, Anna muses, a little companionship will soften the unfairness of her fate. Eve Bennett also comes to Rosalind house reluctantly. Once a pampered, wealthy wife, she is now cooking and cleaning to make ends meet. Both women are facing futures they didn't expect. With only unreliable memories to guide them, they have no choice but to lean on and trust something more powerful. Something closer to the heart." The Things We Keep in out in January 2016.