Still Life at Eighty, The Next Interesting Thing by Abigail Thomas ‘59
When I saw that Abigail Thomas had written a new memoir, I knew what the next interesting thing would be for me. For a memoir to work, the central character (the “me”), must be likable because this person is going to be your companion for a time. Abigail pumps this up a step. Her central character is so quirky, so honest, so poignant that you can’t help loving her. What writer makes you laugh out loud while tears are flowing down your cheeks? Good God! Stephen King and Elizabeth Gilbert love her!
At eighty plus, Abigail is beginning to wind down, and dread and fear are never far away. The isolation of the epidemic provoked a wealth of introspection. Her mind roves back in time, conjuring long-ago moments and forward into future perils, but mostly she is in the the present moment, communing with friends, family, bugs, spiders, dogs (of course), and what wildlife comes into view as she sits in her chair. I am a year older that Abigail, and I fervently hope that she will be around to write Still Life at Ninety and that I will be around to read it.
