Lily Harford's Last Request

The opening paragraphs are confronting, so we can guess right from the outset what Lily Harford’s last request might be. But how it reaches that conclusion is the main focus of the novel and is told primarily through the viewpoints of three women - Lily herself, her daughter Pauline and aged-care worker, Donna.
 
Lily is horrified when she begins to realise that her memory is slipping, that age has finally caught up with her. A successful business woman and single mother, she’s dealt with life’s many challenges with vigour, strength and confidence. Dementia and decay aren’t supposed to happen to her. She is determined to exit on her own terms, but for that she is going to need help.  She starts off protesting and mulling over her current situation - “… even if my brain and body are on the way to buggery, I’m not going to let them go downhill without a fight” – although as time passes, she loses impetus and gradually falls back into past memories of her youth and early loves.
 
Pauline is a school principal who has to deal with her own career stresses and other mid-life issues. Equally as “capable, dependable and robust” as her mother, she is in danger of falling apart as she witnesses Lily’s personality slipping away. Pauline and her husband Sam are forced to sell Lily’s house and send her to “an institution [that], no matter how lovely its aspect, facilities and staff, [is] no substitute for a family home and its happy, rich lattice of memories.”
 
Donna, divorced and unsuccessful with men, suffers from low self-esteem, but absolutely loves her job in aged care and she will form a strong bond with Lily when she comes to live at Blue Vista. However, she is deeply disturbed by Lily’s “request” of her. When the crisis is reached, she fears her slip back into alcoholism may have made her do something terrible.
 
This is a powerful novel that will speak to everyone who has already had to face - or will in the future - the inevitable difficult decisions around caring for an ageing loved one who may suffer from dementia or need intensive end-of-life care. It also poses vital questions about euthanasia.
 
The characters are all appealing and perfectly drawn: Lily, once full of vitality who dreads succumbing to gibbering helplessness; Pauline, struggling to maintain some quality of life for her mother but also dreading the time when she will lose her; Donna, who is simply wonderful and a warm reflection of all the real workers like her in aged care who genuinely love what they do in looking after the elderly and frail. As the principal male in the story, Pauline's husband Sam, also demonstrates the best masculine supportive and positive qualities.
 
It’s been a long time since a novel made me sad and teary yet also optimistic and uplifted. Joanna Buckley’s beautiful novel will speak to many and deserves a wide readership.

Five Stars
 
(With many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia for the ARC.)

Available for pre-order (published 2 February 2022)
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