One Good Memory by BadSquirrel

One Good Memory by BadSquirrel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I wasn’t going to review this one but then noticed that the book description is very . . . brief and that there is only one review for the book at the moment. And so . . .

Two point of views – Robin and Maryl. The book opens with Robin wandering away from a camping site which includes her entire family (mother, brothers, brother’s wives, kids (father died some time before this book started)). When she gets far enough away, she calmly strips herself of clothing. And then proceeds naked but for shoes. ...

A quick thought: last book I read, ‘Don’t Feed the Trolls’, had a female roommate who always watches anime while naked (and she constantly watches anime), while the main character is quite casual about whether or not a top is worn; then started (well continued) a book in which a young woman is forced to spend time on campus naked but for shoes or be kicked out of school (she had cheated on a paper) – I paused that one as that isn’t something I can read during the day (I guess?) and moved to this one . . . to find more nudists. My week is odd.

... Somewhere along the way, Robin starts spotting certain clothing items that had been picked up by and carried by the river. She collects them and continues walking. To come upon a woman sunbathing wearing nothing but one shoe. That woman is startled and covers up until she notices that the person who is approaching is also naked and female. They get to know each other, and here I mean have great conversations. Turns out that the other woman is named Maryl and is on a camping trip with her support group (several women who have suffered some form of relationship woes).

Over a course of four days the two women grow close. And even though they’ve just meet, both feel that they love the other and express this love . . by using words like ‘I love you’. But then their time camping comes to an end and . . . everything falls apart. Both knew that they lived some distance from each other, and that maybe they might just have a moment together. Though Robin hopes for more. Maryl, while both loving Robin, and knowing that Robin loves her, doesn’t really know Robin – and knows this. The next step, some form of long distance relationship, is likely to ruin this ‘one good memory’ and so . . . she breaks them apart (there are some reasons that seem vaguely reasonable though made me have vaguely unreasonable negative thoughts about Maryl).

Months pass. Maryl feels hurt inside but continues. People around her notice that she seems distracted. Then Maryl starts seeing, or thinks she sees, someone that looks a lot like Robin. More time passes. Maryl is vaguely curious about whether or not she’s insane.

Maryl works with a medical group. It doesn’t really matter in terms of story, but I think she’s more of an office manager type? Bah, maybe she’s a nurse. For reasons of my own memory – her best friend is a straight woman named Janelle who works with her. Maryl’s relationship with her family is very thin and filled with disappointment on the part of her parents and siblings. Disappointment that Maryl allowed herself to be a lesbian. Maryl lives a great distance from her family.

Robin is an assistant manager (at the start of the story) at a grocery store. She has a big family and everyone loves each other. Though the impression is given that part of this ‘love’ developed as adults – as kids they constantly pranked each other and did thinks like sew pants legs closed and the like. Or toss sisters off buildings with ‘the good sheets’ to be used as a parachute (naturally that didn’t work and Robin almost died).

1) I rather enjoyed both Robin and Maryl and felt both to be rather well-developed;
2) The couple from the first Edgewater book pops up in this book. It’s been a while so I might get their names wrong but I think it is librarian Maureen and radio personality Shine.

Rating: 5 or 5+ - still thinking about it.

Review written: Feb 24 2017



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