Book Review (and a Giveaway!): The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon by Linda MacKillop

THE FORGOTTEN LIFE OF EVA GORDON by Linda MacKillop
GENRE: Inspirational Women’s Fiction
PUBLISHER: Kregel
RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2022
PAGES: 306

Eva wants to run away from her life–if only she could remember how

Failing memory has forced Eva Gordon to move in with her granddaughter, Breezy. But Eva hates the bustle of Boston. All she wants to do is move back to her quiet, cozy Cape Cod home and be left alone.

Then Breezy announces she’s getting married, and they’ll be moving to her new husband’s rundown family farm, where he lives with an elderly uncle. They’ll be one big family–but only Breezy and Ian think it’ll be a happy one.

It’s all too much for Eva. Too much change, too much togetherness, too much of an over-crowded life she never wanted. But as her desire for privacy collides with her worsening memory, Eva may find herself in a pickle she can’t get out of. Can an unlikely cast of misfit characters step in to woo Eva from her self-imposed isolation?

Fans of A Man Called Ove will appreciate Eva’s predicament, and enjoy the poignant, hilarious, and intergenerational rescue effort to save her from herself.

“The only thing we can control is whether we go out singing or not.”

The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon by Linda MacKillop is one of those rare stories that immediately roped me in, held me captive with its winsomeness, and left me pondering several things in my heart.

If you’ve followed my reviews long, you know it’s unusual for a women’s fiction novel to be one of my favorite reads for the year. KissingBooks? Sure. Mysteries? Yep. Romantic Suspense? Absolutely. If you’re surprised to hear me say that The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon will without a doubt be one of my fave reads of 2022, I’m just as surprised. In fact, I was very hesitant at first to read this book because it addresses dementia/Alzheimer’s – something that usually hits too close to home for this granddaughter who watched both of her beloved grandmothers battle that long goodbye. And yet…

With a little humor and a lot of heart, MacKillop manages to make us all love a bitter old woman whose memory is progressively failing. Eva Gordon is full of regrets – even though she doesn’t always remember why – and becoming increasingly frustrated with her waning independence. But because MacKillop uniquely and with pitch perfect writing takes us inside Eva’s perspective, because we get to see the narrative through her eyes, we also find her to be a woman full of surprises. As we filter through Eva’s actual reality vs. the twisted jumbles and blank spaces of cognitive decline, the person that emerges is layered and complex. A woman with great loves, great disappointments, and great intelligence. A woman who was wounded early in life and spent the rest of her life wounding others in return. None of these descriptors completely encapsulate Eva when taken alone, but when seen as a masterpiece in progress, the full picture is breathtaking.

Bottom Line: I expected The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon to stir up grief and sad memories over watching my grandmothers walk this road, but honestly it did just the opposite. It instead brought to mind the moments of humor, the moments of joy, and the moments of clarity … the memories that make me smile fondly now and thank God for His grace. The author’s writing voice is so charming and full of warmth and wit, the characters so vividly drawn, that when you close the last page you feel as though you’ve been with friends instead of fictional people. A beautiful and heart-tugging portrait of home, yes, and certainly of aging, but also of intergenerational impact, the power of people who refuse to give up on you, and the Divine restoration of the years the metaphorical locusts have eaten. A winning debut novel in every way!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 5 stars / fantastic!

affiliate links used

Linda MacKillop holds an MFA in Creative Writing and is a member of the Redbud Writers Guild. Her articles and essays have appeared in magazines and journals such as The Philosophical Mother, The MacGuffin, and Relief Journal, and her writing has been nominated for both the Pushcart Prize and Best American Essays. This is her first novel. Linda makes her home in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Discover more on lindamackillop.com.

Linda MacKillop’s publicist is offering a print copy of The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon to THREE of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What about you? What makes you want to read The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon by Linda MacKillop?