Story: The Best Books Club Column: “The Lonely Hearts Book Club” by Lucy Gilmore (05.07.24)

Photo by Tom Hermans

For our July book club selection, I wanted something light, but not too light. Or, as I like to call it, “light with depth.” Several people suggested The Lonely Hearts Book Club (2023), and I was curious to borrow it from the library.

The cover looks easy, the title sounds easy, and the first chapter or so was reasonably easy. But unlike the proverbial duck, the novel is not easy. At least not at first glance.

In Lucy Gilmore’s story, a health crisis leads to the formation of a most unusual book club. The three founding members include Sloane Parker, the stereotypical, mild-mannered librarian, the elderly, extremely angry, book club-hating Arthur McLachlan, and the temperamental divorced telephone psychic Maisey. Arthur’s grandson Greg and Sloane’s former colleague Mateo soon become reluctant members; eventually Nigel, a well-known book critic and Arthur’s long-time nemesis, joins the group.

Five of the six members agree that they are all deeply scarred by the loss of loved ones through death or estrangement and that they desperately try to hide their deep pain.

Based on my own journey over the past 14.5 years, I could relate to their stories. And based on my research and my own encounters with countless people who have shared their stories with me over the years, I can say with confidence that any person who has reached their prime – aka “best years” – can achieve the same thing, at least to some degree.

When I read about Sloane, Arther and others, I was initially worried about this month’s column. I liked the book and wanted to cover it, but I wanted this midsummer column to be like a day at the beach – light and breezy.

And let’s be honest: grief and loss, alienation and death are not easy and uncomplicated.

But as time went on, I realized that Gilmore’s story isn’t all doom and gloom, but that it actually has a lot to offer those who have suffered the death of a loved one or the breakup of a once close relationship.

The Lonely Hearts Book Club is a testament to the healing power of literature. Books – both fiction and nonfiction – offer an escape from our own circumstances, a way out of sad introspection to a brighter place. They provide a lens through which we can view our losses and our responses to them, and learn valuable lessons along the way.

The novel reminds me of the importance of being open to new experiences. After my husband died nearly 15 years ago, I wasn’t looking for new experiences; I just wanted my “old life” back. But necessity required me to find a new job, which brought me travel in the United States and abroad, writing opportunities, and other experiences I could never have imagined. Although I would still have chosen my old life again in a heartbeat, these new experiences were crucial in helping me overcome the almost paralyzing grief of those early years as a widow and put it behind me.

Gilmore’s story is also a treatise on the inestimable value – not just emotionally but physically – of opening our hearts and looking beyond the facade of others and seeing the human being behind it, connecting with even the most unlikely people to form a community.

“The Lonely Hearts Book Club” is a success story. It is light and profound.

Some questions and topics we will discuss in our Facebook live chat on Monday, July 8th at 4pm include:

1. What was the driving force behind each character’s decision to join the book club?

2. Which member did you most identify with and why? Whose literary opinions and preferences are most similar to yours?

3. How do the characters change through their membership in the book club and their interactions with the other members?

4. The relationship between parents and their children is one of the themes of this book. How is each character influenced by the parents and/or children in their lives?

5. The novels the book club reads reflect the lives of the characters. Which book best reflects your life and attitude at the moment?

Soon

For our August selection, we are reading the historical bestseller “West With Giraffes” by Lynda Rutledge (2021). Inspired by true events, the story is about a grumpy old man, a young man who desperately wants to travel to California, the world’s first female zoo director and – of course – giraffes!

Patti Miinch, a Cape Girardeau resident, is an author, mother and mother-in-law of two, grandmother of five grandchildren, and retired educator. She has many hobbies, but at the top of the list are spending time with her family, sports, traveling, and reading.