"It's not like I'd lost touch with reality or
anything. I just decided I didn't want to
spend quite so much time with it. Gidge
always said, "Imagine the world the way
you want it to be and anything is possible."
That's all I was doing, imagining my perfect
world."
Yardley and her grandmother Gidge are best friends. When Gidge is told she has terminal cancer, she makes some big life decisions: she writes a note to everyone in her life that she might have hurt, she gets rid of all things most important to her, and she makes a plan for an assisted death when the pain overwhelms. As they spend time together in her final days, Gidge encourages Yardley to find a friend her own age, and to find something to keep her busy when Gidge is gone.
The grief felt and the yearning to see her grandmother again leads Yardley on a long and difficult path to acceptance. She shares her grandmother's belief in reincarnation, and begins to see signs of Gidge in many places. She works in a vintage clothing store, owned by Gidge's friend, with his grandson Harris. The two set out to help each other solve a mystery that centers around a woman who comes into the shop to claim a package left for her. It is Gidge's green velvet dress, and convinces Yardley that the woman is Gidge reincarnated.
The admirable characters are absolutely believable, and reeling with grief and loss. They work hard to deal with the many difficulties left to them as they learn to live without Gidge. Yardley and Harris have an uneasy relationship because of unshared secrets, but learn to depend on each other when it is most needed. What about Mrs. Johnson who picked up the dress? Who is she really?
Though the issues are challenging, they are handled with assurance and a delicate touch. The opening lines are essential to the storytelling; the story itself is both buoyant and heartfelt. It is an exceptional read, and has found a place on my 'keepers' shelf.
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