The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg FIC Ber

I love books by Berg.  This book is actually the story of three people but since Arthur is in the title I’ll introduce him first.  Arthur is in his mid-eighties.  Six months ago he lost his wife, Nola. Ever since that day Arthur takes the bus and his folding chair and goes to the cemetery to have lunch with her.  He tells her what has been happening and that he misses her.  During his walk through the cemetery he reads the inscriptions on the gravestones and can immediately conjure up a quick bio for each of them.  Other than this ritual his days are rather boring - hanging out at the house with Gordon the cat.  One day while ‘visiting’ his wife he notices a young girl hanging around.

Her name is Maddy.  She is a senior in high school.  She has been skipping school every afternoon and spending time among the dead.  Part of it is to escape the kids at school who are not kind to her.  She is also at peace there and feels closer to the mother she never knew.

The third person lives across the street from Arthur.  Her name is Lucille and is a retired school teacher who loves to cook and bake.  Unfortunately she has no one at home to feed but since Nola’s death she has supplied Arthur with a continuous source of cookies.  They are getting to know each other better since Arthur and Nola had kept mostly to themselves.

These three people are suffering in their own way.  Now they will begin to help each other.  It’s a quick read and filled with lots of thoughts about life and living.

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