(Subdue) On the Bright Side: The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen by Hendrik Groen - 4.5 stars

[Ellen]

After the death of his friend Eefje, a woman he was beginning to love, 85-year-old Hendrik Groen put aside his diary for over a year. Now he feels ready to detail his life again and the lives of his dear friends and cohorts in the Old-But-Not-Dead-Club. He lives in an elder care facility where he and his clubmates have decided to grab all the gusto from life before their time has passed. The eight of them (the club can only be 8 as the passenger van only has enough seats for 8) are quite social people. This year they have decided to sample international restaurants every few weeks, enjoying foreign foods and most especially foreign liquor. They do enjoy their libations. They have also managed to become the committee representatives of the inhabitants, an accomplishment that maybe was a tad unorthodox. Their main concern is the rumor that the care home is slated to be closed and they have been unable to get a definitive answer from the directors. For Hendrik himself, his heart has begun to ache for another dear friend who is obviously nearing end of life. How can he deal with such anguish again even though, with a home full of people mostly in their 80's, the odds are always in death's favor.

Although the novel deals with tough subjects it is light and charming with a great deal of humor. Who wouldn't want to be a member of Hendrik's club if given the gift of old age? I thoroughly enjoyed this one as I did the first Hendrik novel a few years ago.