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The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg

Author: Aloÿse of Daylesford Book Club, Posted: Tuesday, 26th March 2019, 09:00

How many of us still use address books?

This novel revolves around a “red-leather address book, its bent corners revealing the yellowed paper within.”

It belongs to 96-year-old Doris who lives alone in her Stockholm apartment. She was given the address book by her father and from that moment she kept a note of all the people she met throughout her life.

Nearing the end of her life, she looks through the book and remembers the people and tells her life story of being a maid in Sweden, modelling in Paris during the 1930s, escaping to the United States during WW2 and finally her relationship with her great niece and Allan, the love of her life, during her final months in Sweden.

This is a debut novel inspired by the author’s great aunt who had a similar address book.

When she died the address book was found with the word ‘dead’ next to many of the names. “It broke my heart to realise how lonely she must have felt.”

Through the book Lundberg encourages us to talk to old people to listen to their stories and learn from their experiences. The author portrays old age as it is. Many of us will know a Doris but the outstanding themes of the book are memories, sorrow and most importantly love.

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The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg

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