SOME BRIGHT NOWHERE A Novel by Ann Packer

I’ve read all of Ann Packer’s novels….she being one of those writers that feels like a friend, someone you could sit down with after reading the last page and say, “Wow, love this….but why did you wait to have your character… what made you decide to…

And SOME BRIGHT NOWHERE is that kind of novel. Thus, I have so many questions.

Why did Packer decide to present this recent novel this way: 

Plot: When his wife Claire develops cancer, Eliot becomes her devoted caregiver. But as her death nears, Claire makes a surprising request that challenges Elliot and their relationship: Claire says: “I’d like them to be here with me.”
“Them?”
“Holly and Michelle. …. What I mean is, I’d like them to take care of me.”
“OK.” Eliot hesitated. “The more the merrier?”
“Eliot. Instead of you.”   WOW!

Themes:  It is interesting that the name of Packer’s MC is Claire, as often throughout the novel, you feel that Claire has been the exact opposite, that she has something major to say, to feel…but things are not clear, there is haze and fog in the way. And yes, it rains a lot.

The book examines the “profound gifts and costs of truly loving someone,” the nature of marriage, and the difficult decisions surrounding end-of-life care. 

MY REACTIONS 

I did keep reading. All the way to the end. And there is fulfillment to these odd choices. There is reason in the writing. But did I love or enjoy the painful middle? No.

Most of us have friends that are women; my male readers have friends that are women. 

As a former RN, the gender of a caregiver is rarely the reason a patient survives or does well, or is even ecstatic.

My pregnancies occurred during the gradual change from male to female obstetricians. And when I worked as an RN at a major Chicago hospital in the Labor and Delivery…many of the OB’s were male. Did it make a difference to me as an RN? No. And after years of caring for pregnant women, these men would gradually lose their patients despite the fact that they were not only  excellent in their skills and all aspects of medicine, but also in their relationships with their patients. Sadly, there are few men entering the obstetric field today. 

But in this novel, after a cancer diagnosis, Claire only wants her women friends to care for her. Was this hard on Eliot? Yes!

THAT’S the basic story behind the novel…how long will Claire continue to push Eliot away; how will he deal with this painful decision. His wife is dying and he cannot be with her? What has he done to cause this? How can he make things better? And what do their children think about their mother’s decision? 

Even Clair has moments of uncertainty, fueled by the thought that won’t go away: these are her last days and moments.  

Packer provides a poem to stress where Clair is…

I you have read the novel or if you now do or don’t want to read it, let me know your thoughts, and always, thanks for reading.