M.T. Decker

Book Review – The Forever Year by Lou Aronica

Author: Lou Aronica

• Title:
• Pages: 366
• Formats: Hardback, Paperback, Kindle, Audio Book
• ISBN-10: 1611881005
• ISBN-13: 978-1611881004
• Availability: Amazon
• Website: Lou Aronica

Book Blurb:

USA TODAY BESTSELLERJesse Sienna doesn’t believe that love can last. His parents’ marriage was caring but passionless, and his own romantic history tells him that love can burn bright, but that it cannot burn for long. So when his elderly father, Mickey, moves in with him and seems unable to understand Jesse’s no-strings-attached relationship with Marina, his current girlfriend, Jesse barely pays attention. It’s just another example of how different they are – and more evidence that he and his father will never connect on any meaningful level.But the truth is, Mickey Sienna knows more about love than most people learn in a lifetime. More than half a century ago, he discovered the endless rewards of investing your heart and soul in someone…and he knows the devastating costs of letting the perfect someone slip by.When Mickey sees Jesse taking an extraordinary woman for granted, he decides it’s time to tell Jesse his story – a story he’s never shared with any of his children before. It is a story that will change both of them profoundly.At once a stirring family drama and a touching romance, THE FOREVER YEAR is filled with richly drawn characters and powerful situations. You will respond personally to the people you meet in this novel, and you will find yourself deeply enmeshed in their stories. And you might find yourself looking at love in a new way.

 The concept:

A young man invites his father to come live with him in the hopes of getting to know him better and ends up learning more about himself in the process.

The Characters:

Character Name: Mikey Sienna

What works – Mikey is an older widower.  He never learned how to take care of himself – growing up his mother did the cooking and cleaning.  when he was married, he worried about bringing home the money and his wife took care of things.  When he sees his youngest son making a big mistake, he tells him a story to put him on the right path.

Least Favorite trait  – Mikey is an older man, from a very different time and he has trouble admitting he’s getting older

Character Name: Jess Sienna

What works – Jess is a young man who, whether or not he realizes it, has a lot to learn about relationships.  There’s the obvious, wanting to get to know his father better,  his relationship with his siblings (who all make assumptions about him being the youngest), and his lady love – who is in a no commitments relationship.

Least Favorite trait – Jess seems to think he knows everything and has a lot to learn.

The story

Why it works/doesn’t work: This story works on so many levels – It’s a story about relationships, getting to know people and more importantly getting to know yourself.

What I liked:  

The people.  It’s not always easy to see people trying to find their way in a relationship, especially when the relationship either isn’t there like you want it to be, or is there, and you’re too busy to actually see it.

What I didn’t like:

When I started chapter 1 was in third person, and the next chapter was first person.  It was a bit jarring at first, but I fell into a pattern with it (although I was tempted to read all the odd chapters and then go back and read the even ones.

Overall this was a very compelling story with some very deep truths that Jess, and all of us need to learn.  Love the people you’re with, tell them what they mean to you.