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Jan 14, 2011Carterpenj rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A book that is slow to get into, mainly because the characters are depicted in terms of their attitudes and reactions to how their life experiences have failed to live up to their early expectations. Shep Knacker the protaganist expected a very early retirement in a country (Africa - Pemba) with a much lower cost of living and fundamental lifestyle. His generous behaviour and accommodation of his wife's, daughter's, sister's, father's, and best friend Jackson's wants, however preclude him from attaining this. The book opens with his plan to achieve this goal - the "afterlife" - as he calls it, only to learn that his wife has terminal cancer. Most of the book deals with critical/fatal illnesses (Jackson's daughter has FD - a rare and debilitating condition), the enormous personal and financial costs to those living with them and caring for those having them, and the injustices of the American health system. Other than Shep, the majority of the characters are self-centred. The storyline is interesting, and the final chapters become more traditional and "happily everafter". I also found that I thought about this book as I was reading, and did not just rip through it as I do with many - so from that perspective I am giving it one of my higher ratings.