What to do when life is trying to squash you?

Synopsis

WHEN LIFE FEELS LIKE…
A TEST YOU DIDN’T STUDY FOR

When Maggie King turned sixty, she thought her life complete.

Now she’s sixty-one, and everything has gone horribly wrong.

Husband Greg has abruptly upped and left leaving Maggie bewildered. But there’s no time to question his departure because her ancient parents are all-consuming.

Once fondly referred to as the Golden Oldies, they’re now the BOBs – Bad-Tempered Old Buggers.

Sister Freya is never available to help, and Maggie is rapidly reaching the end of her tether.

She wants her life – and husband – back.

Instead, she’s trapped in what has been coined the Sandwich Generation – supporting both children and parents – except this particular sarnie is in danger of falling apart.

Maggie needs to learn that when life is like a club sandwich, it needs the best ingredients – and that includes lashings of love and some knee-trembling romance!

My review

At her sixtieth birthday, Maggie thought she had the best life. Even if thing weren’t always that perfect, it for sure worked for her!
Little did she know that one year later, her whole life would have been turned upside down. Not only did her husband Greg leave her, the health of her parents is also deteriorating. And she cannot count on her sister for any help, because her parents and her sister don’t see her job as a photographer as a ‘real’ job and expect her to be available all the time.
And while her own children can mend for themselves, as a mother the worrying never really stops.
Can Maggie find the way to put everything into the right balance and not forget herself in this whole new process?

Opening a book of Debbie Viggiano is like starting a journey that you never know where it will end. Knowing this author, I don’t that even if I don’t know a lot about the journey,  I know I will love the journey and the final destination of it!

And my oh my, what a great book this was! I have to say, that Debbie for sure wrote another compelling, heart – breaking but also heart – warming and inspiring story.

It all starts very positive, where Maggie celebrates her birthday with her loved ones, and how everything seems to be working out for her and her family. Of course there are a few bumps on the road, and Maggie worries about the health of her parents. But isn’t that natural, as both her parents aren’t getting any younger and have their own fights to fight.

The contrast one year later couldn’t be bigger… because we see Maggie trying to communicate with Greg, but her husband isn’t the most talkative and loving husband anymore. And while initially Maggie was mainly worrying about her mother, now also her father is showing a faltering health.

It saddened me to see how at loss Maggie was, with everyone relying on her, parents and sister taking her availability for granted and not realizing that Maggie has a job and that she cannot just cancel prior appointments whenever they ask her to.

Maggie for sure isn’t having an easy time, everyone wants something for her, her time, her availability, her presence, her understanding.
But when she asks for the same things, especially from her sister, she finds herself on her own. And that angered me. Everyone has a life of their own, and yes, we all love our parents, siblings, children etc. But love doesn’t mean to lose yourself and not getting any help when you’re screaming for it.

Luckily, this isn’t a complete sad story, but also a very heart – warming one, in more than just one way.
Because when Maggie decides to finally do something for herself, to have some love back in her life, it truly was a wonderful decision she made.
And it put a smile on my face seeing how the things that frightened her the most, turns out to be the thing she perhaps needed the most.

And that brings also someone on her path, bringing also more light in her life again. I know I am talking in riddles now. But if I start divulging too much, it will take all the surprise and delight away when you are reading this book yourself! 😊
But just let me say this: concerning her husband Greg, not everything is what it seems. And when I realized it myself, I was even a little bit flabbergasted, and I wondered how I didn’t see the signs earlier on!

I truly enjoyed reading this story, even if my world and Maggie’s couldn’t be more further apart. Maggie is in a point in her life where she is still mothering her adult children, but has also become the main carer of her parents. Looking after your parents, especially with their age and their problems, isn’t an easy task, as it’s not easy to make them see that their independence is what is putting them even in greater danger.
But we also see how strong a person can be, and that that strength can come at any age, and everyone can learn to stand up for themselves.
And most important, no matter what age you are, love, no matter in what form, can be found again. And that kindred spirits can always find each other, giving even more strength that we have found ourselves!

Debbie Viggiano wrote a marvellous, inspiring story that even after I finished it, kept lingering around in my thoughts, letting me understand that we cannot just take things for granted, but also that no matter what struggles come on our paths, we should never lose ourselves!