Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

 

 

In Holt, Colorado, Addie Moore pays an unexpected visit to a neighbor, Louis Waters.  Her husband died years ago, as did his wife.  In such a small town, they have known each other for decades.  She makes him a very strange proposal.  She wants him to come over to her house some night and sleep with her.  Not for sex, but for talk, comfort.  Both of them are alone, lonely, and heading into old age.  As they lie together in bed, companionably, they talk about their dreams, disappointments, hopes, and compromises.   Their lives are gradually laid bare to each other and they ward off the loneliness that has consumed them both.  Charming, tender, and beautifully written this book about finding love late in life was finished just days before Kent Haruf died.  He knew he was dying (from an incurable lung disease), but he felt well enough to attempt one more project. Normally it took him six years or more to write a novel, but in a rush of creative energy he finished this is just 45 days.  What a lovely legacy this book of gorgeous writing and wisdom has become.