Emotional Clout

If facing a terminal illness, what would you do if given the chance to extend your life a few months by a treatment that will only add to your misery? And what would you do if your illness was about to encumber your daughters, son, grandchildren and especially your ailing husband significantly? With an emotional clout that’s felt long after you’ve read the book, The Last Hurrah will have you asking yourself these soul-searching questions. It will also have you thinking about the busyness of your life—jobs, kids, responsibilities, and free time, too—and how this can often push aside the needs of aging parents. But along with the weight of such heavy topics, you’ll find lighter moments in the book. The elderly couple, Anna and Robert McAllister, enjoy the sunrises, the wine, the food, the interactions with the staff on the cruise ship they’ve boarded to take their last hurrah. I like when Robert wants to dip his toes in the ocean and feel the sand under his feet, and Anna makes it happen. The couple live in the moment, which is a lesson for all of us among many. Although their adult children seem somewhat two-dimensional (of course, that could be what the author was hoping to get across), Anna and Robert are more well-rounded, characters whom I found myself fighting for.