It's where you sit down that determines everything in life. One Vacant Chair is a hilarious and gripping novel by New York Times Notable Book of the Year author Joe Coomer, whom the Washington Times calls a marvelously creative comic writer.
As the owner of several antique stores in Texas, Joe Coomer has an affinity for old chairs. So much so that the main character of his latest novel, Aunt Edna, paints portraits of them. Not people in chairs, just chairs. At the funeral of Grandma Hutton - whom Edna has cared for through an agonizingly long and vague illness - Sarah begins helping her aunt clean up the last of a life. This includes honoring Grandma's wish to have her ashes scattered in Scotland - although she had never left the state of Texas.
We were two fat women, eighteen years apart, a chair artist and a designer of Christmas ornaments, who only knew we had troubles and a hot summer to get through, says Sarah. But as it turns out, there is a great deal more to her quirky aunt's troubles than Sarah could possibly imagine. As the novel turns from the oppressive heat of Texas to the cool, misty beauty of Scotland, she learns of her Aunt Edna's remarkable secret life and comes to fully understand the fragile business of living and even dying.
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""Its where you sit down that determines everything in life." Most readers will recognize some of themselves and the people they love and hate in this book. Aside from the story itself, this book's greatest strength is in its vivid descriptions. Coomer captures nuances with absolutely wonderful skill, and he is able to use similes and metaphors that resonated in my very soul. This novel captures the agony of life decisions pertaining to becoming a full-time caretaker and accepting what family members can and cannot do for family members with long term illnesses - especailly from a distance. In addition to everything else this book is about two women at turning points in their lives who embark on an adventure, that takes them from the hot oppressive heat of Fort Worth, Texas to the misty beauty of Scotland. Coomer draws Edna and Sarah on this journey with ease and beauty. Sarah and Edna both have secrets, and along the way, Sarah learns of her Aunt's remarkable secret life and comes to fully understand the fragile business of living and even of dying. ** Just a note. I was the full time caretaker of my Mother in her last years, and less than a month ago, she passed away. Her life did not mirror either of these women, but even given the heavy sadness one feels about the loss of a loved one, and the watching of their lives fade away, there was a brief few hours of bliss while I enjoyed this wonderful book. Read it, you won't be disappointed."
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Rhapsodyblue00 (5 out of 5 stars)