When one diagnosis exposes more than thought…

Synopsis

Lizzie thinks the difficult years are behind her.

She has a happy marriage, a career she loves, and a daughter beginning to find her place in the world. But when her husband Ed receives a devastating diagnosis, long-buried secrets surface – shattering everything Lizzie believes about their life together.

Now Ed is desperate to set things right before his memories slip away. 

Meanwhile, their adopted daughter Beck is searching for answers of her own that could change the family forever.

After rediscovering her love of singing, Lizzie brings together a community where friendship, kindness and music forge unexpected connections — and perhaps a way back to one another.

My review

Lizzie’s and Ed’s worlds are falling apart when Ed is diagnosed with an illness that will affect his memories. Just now that the married couple would be enjoying life now that the hardest years are behind them. But with memories slipping away, also long – kept secrets are being exposed, putting Lizzie’s and Ed’s marriage on a bigger strain than just Ed’s illness. Add that their daughter Beck is looking for answers of her own, like looking for her biological mother, and just finding her place in the world. Unexpectedly, Lizzie finds her love for signing again, joining a choir with her best friend. And then music turns out to be what could possibly bring Lizzie back closer to her loved ones. But can music heal all the pain that have been caused in the past? And can it bring forgiveness? And could it even bring back the people we think we have lost?

I was a bit doubtful if I should read this story or not. Not because I thought it would a bad story, but more because I knew it would be a heavy story. Ed’s diagnose is not a light matter and it affects many people in the world. It is difficult for the person itself, but also for the people around him/her. So my curiosity for the story had the upper hand.

At the start of the book, Ed is a bit reluctant to go let himself check out. And I could understand that in a way. Because when it is just being a ‘normal’ forgetfulness and when is there something else going on? Aren’t we all having moments where we seem to forget something?

Even when Ed’s diagnose is made, obviously everyone is a bit shocked as it is news that nobody was expecting, I could understand how Ed is a bit in denial. Where Lizzie is trying to find remedies, treatments or things can just help a little but, Ed does not want to be faced constantly with the diagnose and just want to go on with his life as it was before. Which is of course just wishful thinking…

We see how the disease, the diagnose, affects everyone, how now things just have to change in a way, because living as before is just not an option.

I thought that the book would be only about how the family would face the changes in their lives, but the more I was reading more, the more I realized that just because someone gets bad news, that the rest in life pauses.

Because, and perhaps Ed’s situation ‘helps’ in this case, suddenly Lizzie discovers a secret Ed has been keeping, making the blissful marriage she believed she had with Ed turn into the opposite. While Lizzie is in the dark about what to do next, she doesn’t want to be the wife that leaves her sick husband, she also just has her heart broken over the betrayal.

And also Lizzie is someone I could understand, because no matter what you would do in this situation, it is never the right thing…

I was happy for Lizzie that she then finds comfort in music and the choir she is joining. Now, I was happy reading that it isn’t a choir in the classical sense of the word, but a choir where all kind of songs are being sung. Being in the choir is an escape for her, but it is also about Lizzie growing her own self – esteem again. And I admired how Lizzie understand how important music can be, and even comes up with great ideas to help others.

Like I said, we see how an illness, a diagnose doesn’t put the rest on hold. And we also see this with Beck, the daughter.

We see here a young woman that is in fact a little bit lost. She doesn’t know what to do with her life, has been doing several things but hasn’t find that one thing that she loves doing. The fact that she is also adopted, leaves her with many questions. She has and is still being loved by Ed and Lizzie, but still Beck has a felling of not belonging anywhere.

Perhaps I did not feel truly sad for Beck, but I could understand her inner turmoil. It is not easy, especially in these times, trying to find not only your place in the world, but also the answers to all her questions. And then the devastating news about her adoptive father…

Now, it may sound like a depressing story, and for sure it isn’t an easy one. There is Ed’s illness, his struggles and we see how slowly are taking a turn for the worse. There is Ed’s secret that suddenly is being exposed and his attempts to explain and make things right. There is Lizzie devastated by not only Ed’s illness, but also by that secret, making her doubt what to do next. And Beck just trying to answers.

But in fact, we also see so many moments filled with hope and love. And we see, something we perhaps should pay more attention to, how important and how impactful music can be. It can bring you joy, it can bring you hope, it can connect you again with others.

Not an easy story, but for sure an important one, that makes you reflect about your own life, about what truly matters in your life.