Aging | Book Chatter

Enormous Wings
By Laurie Frankel
Henry Holt & Co., May 2026, 304pp.

The Short of It

Funny, sharp, and unexpectedly moving, this novel tackles a deeply divisive issue with both humor and emotional weight.

The Rest of It

At seventy-seven, Pepper Mills is preparing for a new chapter at Vista View, a retirement community in Austin. She still has her health, a devoted family, and plenty of spirit, but even she has started to wonder if it is finally time for a safer, more supportive place to live.

What Pepper never expects is love.

When she meets Timothy, affectionately known as Moth, she finds herself swept into a romance that feels as surprising as it is genuine. After spending decades building a life centered around everyone else, Pepper suddenly has the chance to focus on her own happiness. Her adult children support her. Even her ex-husband, who also lives at Vista View, seems encouraging.

For once, life feels wide open.

Then everything changes.

A sudden curveball forces Pepper into a decision she is absolutely certain about, but one that is illegal in the state of Texas. What follows is both deeply personal and politically charged, especially given the risks her age already places on her. Still, Pepper is not the type to back down quietly. She is bold, funny, stubborn, and more than willing to fight for what she believes is right.

The novel shines in its quieter moments at Vista View, where Pepper’s friendships and late-in-life romance add warmth and humor. But Frankel does not let the story remain light for long. What begins as a charming and witty tale quickly transforms into something far more urgent as themes of women’s rights and bodily autonomy take center stage.

Pepper is an unforgettable protagonist: empathetic, outspoken, vulnerable, and fiercely determined. Frankel balances the sweetness of the romance with the seriousness of the larger issue, creating a story that feels both entertaining and important.

While I wish the ending had taken a slightly different direction, this is still a book I would strongly recommend. Its message is timely, thought-provoking, and impossible to ignore.

Source: Review copy sent to me by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

All the Words We Know
By Bruce Nash
Atria, July 1, 2025, 240pp

The Short of It:

Dark with humor.

The Rest of It:

Rose may be in her eighties and suffering from dementia, but she’s not done with life just yet. Alternately sharp as a tack and spectacularly forgetful, she spends her days roaming the corridors of her assisted living facility, musing on the staff and residents, and enduring visits form her emotionally distant children and granddaughters. But when her friend is found dead after an apparent fall from a window, Rose embarks on an eccentric and determined investigation to discover the truth and uncover all manner of secrets…even some from her own past. ~ publisher

All the Words We Know surprised me. Rose is this sweet, charming lady whose grasp of the English language is slipping ever so slightly. Words like “elevator” become “relevator” and her interactions with the other residents are one-sided at best, and sometimes not even with the living!

But, she’s sharp. Very sharp, so when strange things begin to happen at the assisted living facility, she finds herself conducting her own investigation into what is going on. She befriends a trans employee who provides warnings, but are they REAL warnings or Rose’s imagination at work again?

I was intrigued by this story. Rose’s observations are colored by dementia but as the story comes together, I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to know what the heck was going on and what was up with hat facility?

All of the players, the “angry” nurse, the “scare/care” manager, the nice boy with a mop, provide ways for the story to move forward without giving the entire plot away. Overall, I liked the story. Mostly I appreciated how unique it was. Getting used to Rose’s way of speaking took a bit of time but once I got used to it, the story flowed effortlessly.

Source: Review copy sent to me by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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