Lily Harford is nearing the end of her once joyful life – and for her, it can’t come soon enough. Who will have the courage, kindness and love to grant her last request? A compassionate and heartfelt story for readers of Jodi Picoult, Tricia Stringer and Fiona Lowe.
Knowing she is sliding into dementia, Lily Harford is ready to give up her life… but can she persuade someone to commit the illegal act of taking it from her?
Lily has lived a joyful, independent life in a seaside town in Queensland, running her own business and raising a daughter as a single mother at a time when few women did so. Now health and circumstance have pushed her into a nursing home, and her memory is failing, although events of the past remain fresh. Like pulling back the layers of a Russian doll, Lily recalls the former selves – mother, professional woman, lover, daughter – who still exist inside her.
Lily’s daughter, Pauline, has been pushed to her limits by her demanding job, as well as the needs of her mother, husband, daughter and grandchildren. And now her mother is begging to die. Nurse aide Donna, still recovering from a dysfunctional childhood and the demise of her marriage, finds comfort in Lily’s kindness and down to earth wisdom. As Lily fades, she asks Donna, too, to help her end her life. But will she?
Lily Harford’s Last Request is not an easy read, but it’s an important one. Right from the surprising and somewhat confronting opening, this exquisitely written story reels you in. The indomitable Lily is at the heart, but Buckley has delivered three compelling female characters here. Lily is at the end of her life, certainly as she knows it, and wants to maintain her dignity. Much of the book is told in flashbacks, giving the reader insight into Lily’s life and her relationship with her daughter. Pauline is juggling the stresses of being a school principal with some marriage issues while struggling with her mother’s decline, the decision to put her in a nursing home, and the progression of her mother’s dementia. Then there is Donna, the nurse’s aid Lily meets once she’s at the Blue Vista Nursing Home.
This is a thought-provoking, vivid and moving exploration of how we value a life well-lived, and the decisions we make when that life is coming to an end. It is about dying with dignity, the right to choose and the greatest act of humanity. I highly recommend this wonderful book. Joanna Buckley has done an excellent job at taking a highly sensitive issue and weaving it into a tale with great heart and humanity.
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