On the Bright Side

On the Bright Side: The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 85 Years Old by Hendrik Groen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“Hendrik Groen” is a pseudonym for the author of this diary from 2015. Hendrik is an 85-year-old resident of a retirement home in The Netherlands. He is also a member of an exclusive group called the “Old But Not Dead Club.” These are 8 people who have decided that they are going to live their lives to the best of their ability, eating interesting food and experiencing things as best they are able (there are 8 or them because that is the number that can fit in the minivan that takes them on their adventures). And all throughout, Hendrik chronicles it, replete with references to actual events that occurred in 2015, offering commentary and observations. Along the way, there is possibly one of the best accounts of what growing old is like; the frustration of having to depend on a an elevator that is always breaking down, or having to put on your shoes and socks when you can’t bend. Or the more serious yet inevitable fact that you are closer to death than most, and you may watch your friends go one at a time.

This is a terrific book. It is not so much a tight narrative as it is the journey of a man through the arbitrary confines of a year in the life. The short/mid length chapters are simply the entry for the day. And within each entry in the picture of a former schoolteacher living his life and trying to get through the day with his optimism intact. At times, it is hilarious. And at other times, it is tear-jerking.

I did wonder whether or not this was a real person somewhere off in the Netherlands writing an entry a day: an 85-year-old publishing his thoughts. Or if it was simply a very clever writer with a special insight on the aging process, a nurse or other medical practitioner. Either way, it doesn’t matter.

This book is actually a sequel, though I believe the author covered the events of the previous year when necessary. There is not really a tight story arc, but life provides its own narrative.

If we’re lucky, we get to grow old. What we do once we get there is up to us.







View all my reviews