Now Read This: 'The Day We Met' by Rowan Coleman

I once heard that if you misplace your car keys occasionally, that's normal. However, if you forget what they are used for, that could be dementia. There are times when a person's name escapes me or I forget what I am doing, and I immediately panic and think, "Is this it? Is it Alzheimer's?" Then when I remember, I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm safe. For now.

Alzheimer's is a dreaded disease for not only the patient, but their loved ones, as well. So when I started reading a new novel titled "The Day We Met" by Rowan Coleman and realized it was about a woman with early onset Alzheimer's, I almost returned it to the library unread. But by then, I was engrossed in the story and could not put it down. This novel is thoughtfully written, with insight and humor, about a disease that is anything but funny.

Claire is a 44-year-old woman with "AD," as she calls it. She is married to the love of her life, and yet at times she views him as a stranger in her home and is fearful of him. She has a bubbly 3-year-old whom she sometimes regards as a playmate and co-conspirator when evading her mother, who has moved in to care for Claire and her household. To complicate matters, Claire has a 20-year-old daughter who is struggling to come to grips with her mother's disease while dealing with life-changing issues of her own.

From the book jacket: "A chance meeting with a handsome stranger one rainy day sets Claire wondering whether she and Greg still belong together: She knows she should love him, but she can't always remember why. In search of an answer, Claire fills the pages of a blank book Greg gives her with private memories and keepsakes, jotting down beginnings and endings and everything in between. The book becomes the story of Claire -- her passions, her sorrows, her joys, her adventures in a life that refuses to surrender to a fate worse than dying: disappearing."

This was fiction, but for those of you interested in reading more about Alzheimer's disease or other health topics, the library has organized those nonfiction books into the Health Neighborhood. There you will find items organized in convenient categories ranging from "Aging" to "Yoga," with many health topics in between.

About Jean

Jean Martin is the user services supervisor at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.