Penelope's Way

June M. Blurton is a retired speech/language pathologist.

Each of his novel’s 12 chapters covers a month in the year Penelope
will turn 71. At her 70th birthday party, we are introduced to her twin
adult son and daughter; Gordon, a Unitarian minister who sees auras
surrounding members of his congregation; Brenda and her son Jason, who
have left their tree house on Gulf Island to be with her mother in
Vancouver; and Penelope’s old friends from the monthly potluck dinners
(including George, a former lover).

Penelope, a widow, lives alone, and this concerns her friends but not
her children. She may talk to herself—not in whispers but at the top
of her voice—but she has not lost her enthusiasms. She goes for long
walks, keeps an eye on the area (foiling an attempt to sexually molest a
neighbor’s daughter), and experiments with anti-gravity paint on her
mattress when she cannot sleep. Her decision to explore the meaning of
life pays dividends when Brenda is diagnosed with breast cancer. A more
focused approach might have made this a better novel, but it is fun to
read.