Books - Book Review - Visitors - Anita Brookner

Like everything else in New Orleans, even banks are multitasking.

Not only does Fidelity deal with regular banking, the downtown branch also has a lending library!

I have read most of the books there, except for this one: Visitors.

I have never read any of Anita Brookner's books, so I was taking a big chance, and I enjoyed it.

Dorethea May is a spinster, who married late in life. Even though Henry has been dead for several years, she still maintains minimum contact with his relatives and his in-laws.

She lives in a flat that she paid off herself, many years before meeting Henry. She has always seen herself as an independent woman, who doesn't need too much human interaction and likes it that way.

The routine that she has is disrupted when Henry's cousin's granddaughter comes for a visit. She brings along her fiance and Steve, who can be as a "hanger on". Steve is sent to Doretha's home to spend some time there.

Doretha is upset, of course. Her life is disrupted. She enjoys Steve's company but also dislikes the chaos of Steve and the other young people are causing.

In this novel, written in both third and first person, you understand why Doretha chose her quiet life and why she starts to questions portions of it when Steve enters her life.

At times, I felt the despair in her thoughts; in others, I felt there was hope for change.

If you have interactions with an older person, this would be a good book to understand the person. The language is clear, but the message is sad and disturbing. But, you will understand why accepting any change gets harder as one ages.