MY YEAR OF CASUAL ACQUAINTANCES by Ruth F.Stevens

Mar has been recently divorced after a twenty-eight year marriage and embarks on a life journey to find her new place in the world. With few friends and a somewhat estranged son, she has no choice but to evolve. She pours herself into fitness and her work, and more than an occasional glass of vino. Her club becomes her social outlet, and Mar’s story unfolds in a series of episodes mostly sparked by encounters with someone at the club. Mar is a multi-layered protagonist, with work-centric and poor communication flat sides that bear some responsibility for the state she finds herself in. On her lighter side, she coins cutesy nicknames for the regular group of gals at the club and has a ‘can-do’ nature, always up for a walk, glass of wine, baby-sitting, dog-sitting, and a fresh romance. Mars’s first person narrative really allows readers to get to know her. The writing digs deep so readers can feel her pain and insecurities, happiness and joys. Her internal narrative brings out plenty of penetrating perceptions of social behaviors and the world around her. Mars’s evolution must fill a void in her life, and the characters she meets along the way are memorable and propel the story forward. I enjoyed the characters’ spirits: most are middle-aged and gray, with forward-looking outlooks and striving for better days ahead. One story line is centered around the onset of Alzheimer's and its treatment. Author Ruth F. Stevens deals with the terrible disease poignantly, bringing to mind her terrific debut novel, Stage Seven, which dealt with the topic. A highly recommended read for fans of women’s fiction looking for a pleasing, page-turning rhythm that beckons the reader forward to the next episode.