Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

Loneliness is something we have all felt at one time or another in our lives, but usually it is a short term condition.  But as we get older the likelihood of finding ourselves alone becomes more of a reality.  We would all like to have a quick, surefire fix to this problem, but it is not that easy.  When we find ourselves without a partner or a confidant we sometimes face a soul wrenching loneliness that seems to have no solution or end.  Kent Haruf in his last novel, Our Souls at Night, writes of this very situation in the lives of his character, Addie and Lewis.  Both of their spouses have passed away and they have been alone for some years.  In an act of sheer determination to change her life and a kind of defiance of cultural norms, Addie suggest to Lewis that they change their plight, that they choose not to be alone.  She ask him to come to her house and sleep with her every night so that they would not have to face those long, dark hours by themselves.  This decision sets into motion the plot of this story.  The happiness that grows between the characters is wonderful to see.  The healing that it brings to their lives and to others with whom they interact (like Ruth the elderly neighbor and Jamie, Addie's grandson) make for warm feelings and uplifted souls.  Unfortunately, Haruf's novel also highlights the realities of dealing with adult children and family dynamics.  The outcome of these conflicts in the story leave readers amazed by the cruelty of people who have inflexible ideas of how people should act as they age regardless of their desires or their happiness. The ending of this novel is not what most would want it to be, however, it is interesting to note that as Haruf was finishing the novel his wife persuaded him to soften the ending to some extent.  We readers are left with some hope.  Interestingly, Haruf wrote this novel in a few short months after being diagnosed with terminal cancer; it seems this book was his parting message to those he left behind.  We are lucky to have this last piece from a prominent America writer to remind us of what we should stand firm for as we age.  Happiness is a gift that is not to be taken lightly or put aside just because it might not be what others' preconceived ideas demand.  Time is short so we must "seize the day."