I often reread books, sometimes multiple times. For me, rereading a book is like eating comfort food. The familiarity is soothing. I often notice things I had either missed the first time or forgotten.
During the last month, on three separate occasions, I was reminded of Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos, a book I read for the first time a couple of years ago. Taking the hint, I dug it out and reread it.
Margaret is an elderly woman, divorced from her husband many years ago after the death of their son. She lives alone in her Seattle mansion, spending her days dusting valuable antiques. When she is told that she has a brain tumor, she declines treatment and decides to take in a boarder. This uncharacteristic action results in Wanda entering Margaret’s life. Wanda is an unhappy young woman. During her first visit to Margaret’s house, Wanda ends up breaking down and crying in the powder room. In spite of this, or maybe because of this, Margaret invites Wanda to become her boarder.
Margaret and Wanda are just two of the many characters that make this book a worthy read. Quirky and eccentric, each one of them is suffering in some way. (Couldn’t this sentence apply to most of us?) Brought together by unusual, and granted, sometimes unbelievably coincidental, circumstances, together they explore the path toward healing. Margaret realizes that she “had been given the privilege of bearing witness to Wanda’s life and the very particular color of her heartache.” Each character has a story to tell, and together they make Broken for You a book worth reading.
As an added bonus, the book has discussion questions in the back, making it a good choice for a book club.
~Sally Hoelscher