Book Review: Bernice Runs Away by Talya Tate Boerner

 My Rating: 3.5⭐

“She wanted to live out the remainder of her life on her own terms.”

At the beginning of the novel, we meet eighty-one-year-old Bernice Byrd Hart, a retired librarian, in her home in Savage Crossing, Arkansas. Widowed for over two decades, she lives alone and her daughter, Sarah, married and settled in Atlanta, insists on her mother moving to Atlanta to be closer to her, even building a home adjacent to her own for the same purpose. Bernice is troubled by the idea of having to move to Atlanta even though she is in the process of decluttering her home (with a book by Marie Kondo as a guide on how–to) before her impending move. Despite her advanced age, Bernice is active and keeps busy in her community and church –group and despite her loneliness, she enjoys her independence.

“Sometimes you won’t know where you’re going until you get there.”

She packs her bags, withdraws her savings, and with her car “Miss Fiona” and her cat Dolly Parton proceeds to “run away” to a cabin on Lake Norfork, a destination that holds a special place in her heart. Over the next five weeks of Bernice’s life, we follow her adventures and misadventures, her experiences of meeting new people, deciding on what she wants her life to be like and how she endeavors to make it happen. At different points in her journey, Bernice’s memories of her youth, her first love, her marriage and the losses she has suffered are triggered and we get to know more about the ups and downs she has weathered over the years. We meet a cast of interesting characters, past and present who play an important role in Bernice’s life. Not only does this trip turn out to be cathartic for Bernice but also enables her to gain perspective on her present and future.

“Old friends possessed the unique ability to look into the past and see each other as they had once existed, fresh and young, unstained and mostly unaffected by life.”

Bernice Runs Away by Talya Tate Boerner is a wonderful, heartwarming read. With humor, wisdom and insight, the story is told from Bernice’s perspective. Bernice comes across as real, relatable and lovable. It is easy to relate to her in her loneliness, her need for independence, and her need to deal with her past regrets and grief in her own way. The characterizations are spot-on and the author touches upon themes of loss and grief, aging, elder care, family and community with wisdom and compassion. Though the first half of the novel is a tad slow-paced, the story does pick up after the 50% mark. Overall, I enjoyed the story and I loved how the author chose to end the story on a positive and hopeful note

Many thanks to the author, One Mississippi Press LLC and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.