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A Novel
by Helen Garner
Book Reviewed by:A powerful, witty, and taut novel about a complex friendship between two women—one dying, the other called to care for her—from an internationally acclaimed and award-winning author.
How much of ourselves must we give up to help a friend in need? Helen has little idea what lies ahead—and what strength she must muster—when she offers her spare room to an old friend, Nicola, who has arrived in the city for cancer treatment. Skeptical of the medical establishment, and placing all her faith in an alternative health center, Nicola is determined to find her own way to deal with her illness, regardless of the advice Helen offers.
In the weeks that follow, Nicola’s battle for survival will turn not only her own life upside down but also those of everyone around her. The Spare Room is a magical gem of a book—gripping, moving, and unexpectedly funny—that packs a huge punch, charting a friendship as it is tested by the threat of death.
1
First, in my spare room, I swiveled the bed on to a
north-south axis. Isn't that supposed to align the sleeper with the planet's
positive energy flow, or something? She would think so. I made it up nicely with
a fresh fitted sheet, the pale pink one, since she had a famous feel for color,
and pink is flattering even to skin that has turned yellowish.
Would she like a flat pillow or a bulky one? Was she allergic
to feathers, or even, as a vegetarian, opposed to their use? I would offer
choice. I rounded up all the extra pillows in the house, slid each one into a
crisply ironed slip, and plumped them in a row across the head of the bed.
I pulled up the wooden venetian and threw open the window.
Air drifted in, smelling leafy, though you couldn't see a leaf unless you forced
open the wire screen and leaned right out. She had been staying for months with
her niece Iris, on the eighth floor of an art deco apartment block in Elizabeth
Bay whose windows, I imagined,...
Regardless of the ending, the dynamics of giving and taking would interest anyone that has ever experienced a similar situation. As the caregiver, one may question where to draw the line between allowing the patient as much dignity as possible and stepping in when he or she no longer seems to be rational. As the patient, one may worry about burdening others. Readers that have never played either role aren't likely to be drawn to the more visceral realities of tending to the dying, but the enduring theme of friendship has every potential to override any initial hesitations about this title...continued
Full Review
(858 words)
(Reviewed by Karen Rigby).
Alice Sebold
Swift, beautiful, and relentless, The Spare Room is a brutal novel in the best sense.Cancer is the term used to describe any
malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division.
A cancer is described as Stage 4 when it has spread from the original site to other
parts of the body. When we first meet Nicola, she has already undergone surgery
and chemotherapy. Below are some of the alternative treatments she tries during the course of the book:
Colon Therapy
The American Cancer Society has a poor view of colon therapy which
involves the cleansing of the large intestine with up to 20 gallons of liquid
that might include water, herbal solutions, enzymes or other substances such as
coffee. Proponents of colon therapy say that detoxifying the body through
the removal of ...
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