The Things We Keep in Aussie Readers

Dec 22, 2015 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: provided-by-publisher, arc-are

The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth is a bittersweet story about longing, memory, hope, loss and love.

Diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers at age thirty eight, former paramedic Anna Forster is the newest resident of Rosalind House, a small assisted living facility in New Jersey, chosen by her twin brother Jack, because it is home to another 'young' patient. Anna is indifferent, she doesn't plan to live long enough to care, but within weeks she and Luke, who has frontotemporal dementia affectin ...more

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Dec 04, 2019 Nicola Marsh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: commercial-fiction, aussie-authors, women-s-fiction, read-in-2019

What a wonderfully uplifting read.
I devoured this in a night, the perfect comfort read.

The book is set in a residential care facility and highlights several amazing relationships, particularly that of Anna and Luke, two young residents with memory issues.
The poignant way in which several trigger subjects like Alzheimer's, consent and suicide are handled is just beautiful.

Highly recommend. ...more

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Jan 11, 2016 Bree T rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, aww2016, blog-tour

You know how sometimes you hear about a book and you just know that it’s going to be for you? That it’s going to be something that you connect with and will make you feel things? This for me, was one of those books. I read and really liked Sally Hepworth’s debut novel The Secrets of Midwives last year so when I heard about this one I knew that I was definitely going to be adding it to my TBR. I read it one sitting and found it almost impossible to put down.

Anna Forster is 38 which is disturbingl You know how sometimes you hear about a book and you just know that it’s going to be for you? That it’s going to be something that you connect with and will make you feel things? This for me, was one of those books. I read and really liked Sally Hepworth’s debut novel The Secrets of Midwives last year so when I heard about this one I knew that I was definitely going to be adding it to my TBR. I read it one sitting and found it almost impossible to put down.

Anna Forster is 38 which is disturbingly only 4 years older than I am and she has been diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s which is genetic. She’s reached the stage where she needs care or help in day to day life but the only facilities that really cater for people in her situation are aged care facilities. Her twin brother Jake chooses Rosalind House because of Luke, a man of 40 who resides there who has a condition somewhat similar to Anna’s. He believes that she will do better having someone around her that is her own age. I felt an immediate affinity with Anna, even though we really had very little in common. I tried to place myself in her shoes, to be given awareness of exactly what it is that she would be losing and applied it to my own life and it was really quite heartbreaking. Anna narrates part of the novel and the reader experiences her decline both through the eyes of others as well as through her own storytelling.

The other parts of the narration come from Eve and her daughter Clementine. Eve was a society wife, disgraced by her husband’s involvement in a Ponzi scheme. Left with nothing she takes a job as the cook at Rosalind House because the address of the facility allows her daughter to remain enrolled at her school. Eve becomes entranced by the story of Anna and Luke and the bond between them. Her young daughter Clementine is the victim of bullying at school and she spends quite a bit of time with the residents of Rosalind House after school while her mother is working. Both Eve and Clementine face ostracisation from their previous social circles because of what her husband did and Eve bears the brunt of a lot of people’s anger as there is that age-old question: how did she not know what her husband was doing?

I felt for Eve in her situation too, because she was an innocent party and she suffered too, losing all of her possessions, her home and her husband. She was forced to move into an apartment that barely housed herself and Clementine and take a job that required her to do more than the description entailed in order to keep them going. She has the added stress of Clementine’s school situation as her daughter faces what is perhaps the worst type of bullying: adult sanctioned and encouraged, where children repeat what they have been told or overheard, using it to ruthlessly torment her. She’s 6, far too young to understand what has happened and is also a true innocent party. Instead of facing sympathy and understanding she is shamed and shunned, taunted cruelly and then reprimanded when she lashes out in response.

I have to admit, I don’t know a lot about dementia/Alzheimer’s and my life has thankfully been relatively untouched by it, barring a few more distant relatives and I’ve never known anyone or known of anyone who knew someone with the younger-onset variety. I’ve read one book about it before but the character was around 50-ish, so older than Anna from this novel but still very young in terms of dementia. So I’m for sure no expert but this definitely had such a feel of authenticity and reality to it, including how Anna’s brother Jack felt. We are never given Jack’s point of view, the author chooses to let the reader see him through Anna and Eve’s eyes and I feel like this worked really well. Anna can see Jack’s emotions at times but lacks the ability to process them or even relate them to her situation. Eve sees a brother trying to do the best thing for his sister, but feels as though he is ultimately making the wrong choices for her. Eve finds herself utterly transfixed by the bond that develops between Anna and Luke and risks everything she can to facilitate it. I think it gives her something to believe in, shows her that even in dire situations, love and beauty can be found. Rosalind House opens Eve up to all sorts of new experiences and she evolves in her time there. Because of this, so also does Clementine.

This book is written with beauty and sensitivity, it’s a compelling story and a heartbreaking rendition of love. Sally Hepworth is going to be one of those auto-read authors for me. ...more

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Nov 09, 2015 Sheree rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2015, contemporary-fiction, review-commitment

heartbreaking & heartwarming

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May 03, 2025 Rina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

4.5 stars.

Love never forgets. Anna Forster knows that her twin brother has sent her to Rosalind House because another young resident, Luke, lives there. As if a little companionship will soften the unfairness of her fate. Eve Bennett also comes to Rosalind House reluctantly to make ends meet. Both women are facing futures they didn't expect. With only unreliable memories to guide them, they have no choice but to trust something more powerful. Something closer to the heart.

Gosh, this story really ...more

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Sep 23, 2015 Kathy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth is a bittersweet novel about an unconventional romance in an assisted living facility. Surprisingly humorous, this emotional novel is sure to resonate with anyone whose life has been touched by dementia or Alzheimer's Disease.

Anna Forster knows she is at risk for early onset Alzheimer's but unlike her twin brother Jack, she does not undergo genetic testing to find out for sure. Despite not knowing she has the gene, when symptoms begin, she has a pretty good i The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth is a bittersweet novel about an unconventional romance in an assisted living facility. Surprisingly humorous, this emotional novel is sure to resonate with anyone whose life has been touched by dementia or Alzheimer's Disease.

Anna Forster knows she is at risk for early onset Alzheimer's but unlike her twin brother Jack, she does not undergo genetic testing to find out for sure. Despite not knowing she has the gene, when symptoms begin, she has a pretty good idea what is happening to her. Once she receives the official diagnosis, she leaves behind her unhappy marriage and moves in Jack and his family. Fearing her illness will put her nephews at risk, she then moves into a privately owned assisted living facility. There, in the midst of the "oldies", Anna meets Luke, who has also been diagnosed with early onset Alzhemier's. As the youngest people in the facility, the two strike up a friendship that quickly turns romantic, but after a heartbreaking accident, their families insist they be kept apart. When newly hired cook Eve Bennett learns their shared history, she does everything in her power to help them.

Before her diagnosis, Anna is a vivacious and quick-witted paramedic who enjoys riding her motorcycle and spending time with her family during her off duty hours. Wanting to spare her family the burden of caring for her, she is proactive in managing her care, but her condition deteriorates rapidly, necessitating full time care much sooner than anticipated. Although not exactly overjoyed to be living with senior citizens, Anna quickly comes to appreciate their struggles since she too is experiencing some of the same issues. At first, she keeps to herself but knowing Jack will worry if she does not take a more active role in facility's activities, she makes an effort to get to know the other residents. Naturally gravitating to Luke (aka young guy), she is grateful to have someone her age who also knows some of what she is going through. As both of their conditions worsen, Luke bolsters her flagging spirits and provides her a new perspective of their respective futures. Their romance is sweet yet heartbreaking as they are both aware their time together is limited but they are determined to spend whatever time they have left with one another.

Eve and her seven year old daughter Clementine are starting over after her financier husband's Ponzi scheme is discovered by the SEC. Losing their fortune is difficult but trying to understand how the man she knew as a loving husband and father could do something so reprehensible is nearly impossible. However, her main priority is Clementine and the job at the assisted living facility will ensure Clementine won't have to change schools. Eve is soon wrapped in the residents' lives but as she forms an unlikely friendship with Anna, she knows that keeping her apart from Luke is not in either of their best interests. Despite feeling like she is missing crucial pieces of the puzzle, Eve devises a scheme to allow Anna and Luke to spend time together, but will this decision come back to haunt her?

Anna's perspective provides readers with an insightful (and sometimes humor filled) perspective of what an Alzheimer's patient experiences. From the earliest stages of forgetfulness to full blown cognitive decline, Anna's journey is heartbreakingly realistic as she gradually loses the basic skills of everyday life. Her romance with Luke brings up interesting questions about a dementia sufferer's ability to fall in love and fully participate in all aspects of a relationship. Anna's deterioration is sensitively and accurately portrayed and her sense of humor helps keep the story from becoming overly maudlin or sentimental.

The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth is a poignant yet incredibly uplifting novel with a wonderful cast of lovable characters. The two story arcs are quite appealing and while Anna’s storyline has the most personal meaning to me, I enjoyed watching Eve and Clementine work through the aftermath of their personal tragedy.

A beautifully written novel that is heartfelt and engaging, I highly recommend The Things We Keep to readers of all ages. ...more

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Jan 25, 2019 Tanya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Things We Keep is the story of Anna, who goes into a residential care facility after being diagnosed with early onset dementia. Eve, finding her way as a single mother, takes a job as a cook/housekeeper in the same facility. What eventuates is an emotional learning curve for them both.

This was a beautiful little book, one that had tears forming before I was even halfway through. The three people who tell the story all have wonderfully unique voices and experiences, and I found my heart break ...more

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Mar 03, 2019 Janine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The last one of Sally’s that I hadn’t read! Such a wonderful thought provoking and tender story. After losing everything including her husband Eve has to sell everything and find a job. She applies at a residential house as the cook/cleaner and discovers a lovely woman called Anna who has early onset dementia. Anna is young and meets Luke there who also has a form of dementia, but they can not be together. The manager is a very suspicious character, and Eve finds a way to make their wish come tr ...more

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Aug 05, 2017 Cathy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is a really touching book mostly about a man and a woman who have early onset Alzheimer's. It is told from various points of view. Anna, who is one of the sufferers of early onset Alzheimer's is one of the most poignant. But so is that of Eve, who is a single mother who comes to work in the care home as a cook where Anna lives. ...more

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