Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers
Synopsis:
Beautifully told through notes left on their kitchen fridge, this is an intimate portrait of the relationship between a hard-working mother and her teenage daughter. Stunningly sad but ultimately uplifting, it is about being a ‘good mother’ or a ‘good daughter’, and is a reminder of how much can be said in so few words, if only we made the time to say them.
What a sad, touching book, that made me cry. The story is told through notes written by both mother and daugher, Claire, in the hardest year of their life – when Claire’s Mum was diagonised with breast cancer. Both are busy so the best way to communicate is through notes left on the refrigerator door. The notes are intimate, with them considering love, life, their relationship and whether they are good people.
I read this book in one sitting. It was quick to read but engaging. And so sad. I really enjoyed this book. We see growing pains of a teenager, as she discovers boys, works hard at school and deals with divorce. Kuipers looks at breast cancer and how it effects the sufferer, and their family. It is so honest and raw. We see pain, heart break and illness. It is a good awareness for cancer. It is realistic and honest, and achingly sad.
There are unanswered questions, and I don’t think the characters could be developed properly as their form of commuication was notes but this was a lovely book and well worth reading.
8/10