[Review] The Things We Keep - Sally Hepworth

Summary: Anna Forster, in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease at only thirty-eight years old, knows that her family is doing what they believe to be best when they take her to Rosalind House, an assisted living facility. She also knows there's just one another resident her age, Luke. What she does not expect is the love that blossoms between her and Luke even as she resists her new life at Rosalind House. As her disease steals more and more of her memory, Anna fights to hold on to what she knows, including her relationship with Luke. When Eve Bennett is suddenly thrust into the role of single mother she finds herself putting her culinary training to use at Rosalind house. When she meets Anna and Luke she is moved by the bond the pair has forged. But when a tragic incident leads Anna's and Luke's families to separate them, Eve finds herself questioning what she is willing to risk to help them. (Pub Date: Jan 19, 2016)
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for granting my request to read this!

Anna has found out that like her mother she has Alzheimer's. As her mind deteriorated, now she needs to adapt to life at Rosalind House, as assisted living facility, which might not be such a depressing idea as it seems at first. There she meets another young patient suffering from dementia, Luke. Even though her mind might forget his name or that they even met, her will always wander in his direction and she will hold strong to their promise never to give up.

Months later we are introduced to Eve's story. She has lost almost everything after her husband did "bad things" to people's savings, and now her daughter is all she's got. She starts working as a cook at Rosalind House, where she meets Anna and her story of the things we still keep after everything seems to be lost.

I read many reviews applauding how this is a beautiful story of how love conquers all, and I can't deny how important is love to this story. Not only what Luke and Anna share but also Eve's love to her daughter, the daughter's love to her father despite his doing "bad things". Thus, I have to add to those reviews this books runs even deeper, discussing human relations through the passing of time.

The author knew how to give a special touch to each of the relationships present, and I grew to love even Baldy, the grumpy Bert who can't let go of his wife, dead for 50 years. Her take on dementia I can't analyze for not having any closer experience but it felt not only credible but humane. Don't skip this reading for fear of tragedies. This is not a book made for you to cry but for you to think.

Style-wise, I found it was a nice effect the decision not only to have two narrators(actually three, counting Eve's daughter few chapters) but two times of narration as well. While Eve's would happen around the present, Anna's point of view was shown from around a year or more before it. The choice was successful in highlighting some of the mystery surrounding Anna's true feelings versus her current condition but perhaps it unnecessarily made the story drag on. Also, I noticed some readers say it was confusing, I concur that, in the beginning, it made me tilt my head a little but you do get used to it quickly. My real problem was that it slowed the rhythm.

Aside from that, what is to be expected from books with such a heartfelt proposal, I thought it was a beautiful book, and a theme very well explored.  Now I mentioned Clementine, I have to note that I simply loved her chapters and her voice. The author managed to create such a nice and bright and strong child. I'm in love!

A final thought, I found the cover to be very pretty but after finishing it I was wondering a diary would represent even more this story instead of papers tied together. Again, just a thought.

Rate: 4 out of 5