When I Was Young and In My Prime

Absolutely beautiful writing - so poetic, literally makes you stop, reread passages & savour the language. Also, a really lovely family tale.

This book is one of the best I've read so far this year. Lyrical, spare and oh so beautifully written, this novel deals with age and death and the little rituals that make up a life. Rather than deal with the physical aspects of the story, the narration floats through the thoughts, memories and feelings of the characters, dancing among the spaces, the pauses and the unsaid thoughts that seperate and join us all.

This book intricately weaves the stories of several family members. It is lyrical and compelling, like being carried gently down a river by the current. It tells the story of a young woman coming to terms with her own life through the understanding of her grandparents' lives as she accepts their gradual decline and inevitable death.