Our Souls at Night

I'm not sure what I thought Our Souls at Night by Ken Haruf was about, but I was anticipating a really dark story. It wasn't that at all.

The premise of the story is interesting. Two neighbors (I hesitate calling them elderly because they aren't that much older than me) lost their spouses many years ago. The neighbors knew each other but weren't friends. The woman shows up at the man's house one day and asks him if he'd like to have sleepovers at her house, not for the sex. Just for the company. It doesn't seem to take much thinking about it on his part. And that's pretty much where the story begins.

"But that's the main point of this being a good time. Getting to know somebody well at this age. And finding out you like her and discovering you're not just all dried up after all."

Interesting, right? Think about it. If you're of a certain age, how often do you get to develop a relationship with someone new? Think about the getting to know you phase. What a great feeling. Once you reach that certain age, the prospect of opening up to someone new can be terrifying, a feeling expressed by some of the other women in the neighborhood.

We learn about the marriages that Addie and Louis had. The reader is able to draw conclusions about how Addie and Louis ended up where they were at the start of the novel from bits and pieces they share with each other about their pasts.

I think this is a perfect book for my community book club to discuss. I'm one of the younger members of the book club, and fortunately, I still have my husband. But would I do what Addie does if I were in her position at her age? Frankly, I don't think so. In all my single years, I was okay climbing into bed to go to sleep by myself. My loneliness would come at dinner time more often than any other time of day. Then again, you really open yourself up when you're in bed, not quite asleep yet. You'd probably develop a truer relationship than you would just chatting over dinner. And that's what I think the title of the novel means. Our Souls at Night are our true souls. I'm really curious to hear what some of the other women in the book club have to say.

The language used by Kent Haruf is very sparse, but the story is very deep. There's not a whole lot of action. But by "eavesdropping" on Addie and Louis' conversations, we really get to know them very well.

There are three other significant characters in the novel. Ruth, an elderly woman, who is Addie's friend and another neighbor. Addie's son, Gene. And Gene's son, Addie's grandson, Jamie.

I don't want to give away the ending, but I was disappointed. No, that's not true. I was saddened. Saddened that lots of folks stories end up the way this one did.

I'd highly recommend Our Souls at Night. And I hope to add a little bit to this post after my book club discusses this next month.