The happiest day in Erin Bryce's live is the day that she
and her friend Sharlene start their wedding planning
business, The Happiest Day. But Erin's happiness quickly
disintegrates when Erin's father suffers a stroke. Erin
flies from LA to the coast of Oregon for a few days, a few
days extend indefinitely as she decides to spend what may
be
her father's last days in Oregon at the cottage by the sea
that was bought and renovated by her father and his
difficult wife, Delores.
Dealing with the responsibility of being a caregiver to
one's aging parents is no easy feat. Robin Jones Gunn
capture the joys and agonies that come with the role in as
much vivid detail as she depicts the little coastal
cottage,
the small Oregon town and its colorful inhabitants. Erin's
emotions realistically ping pong from one end of the
spectrum to the other, hitting everything in between, as
she
grapples with honoring her father, respecting his wife and
preparing for a possible end that she didn't see coming.
Gunn makes it impossible for readers not to empathize with
Erin and her trials and to root for her as she draws from a
wellspring of strength she doesn't realize she has.
Each chapter begins with a verse of an Irish blessing. I
often find this technique annoying, one that jars me out of
the story, but not here. The verses were so well chosen.
They each speak to the emotions that are present at that
point in the story and that readers are likely to be
experiencing right along with Erin and her family. As Erin
seeks wisdom from memories and the journals of her deceased
mother, I found myself jotting down passages for future
reference. COTTAGE BY THE SEA was as much a primer for
coming to terms with impending death as it was a book about
one woman's journey to heal herself and her family in the
process. COTTAGE BY THE SEA is a provocative, endearing
read.
From bestselling and award-winning author Robin Jones
Gunn—a poignant novel about a woman who must care for her
ill and elderly father, hoping to mend both his health and
their relationship.
Erin’s new business as a wedding
planner is running at full speed and her empty nest years
are full of promise when she receives a call that puts
everything on hold: her estranged father has had a stroke.
The twinkle is fading from Jack O’Riley’s Irish eyes and his
calloused second wife leaves, making it clear this is not
what she signed up for.
Suddenly Erin’s visit to her father’s cottage by the sea is
extended indefinitely. At first the task before her is as
daunting as the wild Oregon coast that has become her
unwanted second home. Yet in the many hours she spends
beside her ailing father, Erin finds a treasure hidden in
the darkness. She reaches out and, at long last, receives
the gift of healing
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