Book: A Good Death by Gil Courtemanche

The patriarch of a large family has advanced Parkinson's disease. The story is told by his oldest son, who is now 60, and who explores the anger and ambivalence he feels towards a father he hasn't loved for a long time. While Anatole (the father) raised his family to fear him, physically abused them at times, was not always truthful, was an autocrat, still, as he loses his power, things become more complicated. The family gathers for Christmas and then New Year's Eve. The author divides his siblings into the Buddhists and the Medicals, those who are not grounded enough in reality and those who are strident and too rational. This tale is told with humor and poignancy. The narrator collaborates with his nephew Sam as they try to figure out how to deal with the irascible old man. The wife/mother is wonderfully drawn, and not simply, in her unwavering love for her children and her husband. Her character slowly emerges through the book. This is one more book about universal family dynamics and how many of us remain connected in ways that can surprise us.