Talk Before Sleep

Truly wonderful short novel about two best friends, one of whom is dying of breast cancer and is near the end of her life when the story begins. This is a look not only at what it's like for the patient, but at how hard it is for someone to watch a loved one leave this world -- and not be able to do ANYTHING to stop it. All the feelings are here -- the guilt, the fear, the frustration, and the sorrow -- and they are so eloquently described that by the end of the book, you will be exhausted. As exhausted as the characters themselves. And this is what made me love this book so much -- it's so sad, it's so hard to read, but when was the last time a book moved me like this? Berg says in the foreward that this book is actually based on her own experience as a friend watching a friend die from breast cancer and I believe it. Only someone who'd really been through it could make the rest of us feel like we had too. But this book isn't all about death and sorrow -- it's also about how bright someone's light can be, even in the face of extraordinary darkness. This book made me laugh out loud. And then it made me cry myself to sleep. How wonderful is that? Answer: darn wonderful.

From the diagnosis, to the denial, to the intimidating medical lingo, to the fear and unknown of dying, "Talk Before Sleep" is one of the most realistic pieces of fiction that I have ever read.Beautiful, glowing, take-no-prisoners Ruth lives to the fullest. And then the unthinkable -- breast cancer, surgery, chemo and the exhausting fight to survive, a war waged not only by Ruth, but by her friends, Ann, Sarah, L.D., and Helen. Told through Ann, we see Ruth slowly deteriorate as the cancer spreads and she must face death head-on. This is a soul searching book that asks questions we would all benefit from considering. The questions go beyond the theological into the realm of self-examination. How have I lived? What would I do differently? How do I want to die? Am I living every moment? Ruth's pain is well expressed, but so is the pain borne by her friends. We see the agony and denial, the reality and the fear that the four women who love Ruth the most must endure as they try to support and ease Ruth in her final days.This book is not just a depressing look at a painful death. It is a celebration of a beautiful woman who enjoyed life and squeezed what she could from it to the very end. It's also about the legacy and the spirit we leave behind. I confess I cried, something only two other books have been able to cause. Very well done!

Most books about women dying of cancer tends to be melodramatic, but not this one. Elizabeth Berg takes you on a journey between two best friends as one of them embarks on her final journey for life. Annie and Ruth became the best of friends after meeting each other at a party. When Ruth was diagnosed with breast cancer, Annie learns the meaning of love and letting go while Ruth handles her dying with grace and humor. This is a book I would definitely recommend for friends to give to one another. Elizabeth Berg knows how to write about women ~~ how they talk, eat, live and gossip among themselves. This is a treasure about friendship. Men don't understand the connection women feel for one another ~~ how we need to laugh and cry during life's most stormiest times, and how we need our friends' love and friendship as well. Berg does a wonderful job drawing the readers into the private lives of the characters ~~ and you don't feel that you are standing on the outside either. You're drawn to Annie because of her nurturing, caretaker nature, and you're drawn to Ruth like a moth to a flame ~~ full of life and laughter.If you haven't read this book yet, I would suggest you do so soon. Breast cancer is still the number one killer among women and though this book doesn't really talk about cancer itself, it does talk about love, friendship, survival and death. It is a book to treasure ~~ to pass on between friends, mothers and daughters.

After reading some of the negative reviews, I must wonder if the reviewers have ever lost a close friend to cancer. I lost a close friend two years ago to breast cancer. She was 43. This book, which I read about the time Sally, and another friend, were diagnosed help me so much during the time I, and other friends rallied around to support and help her. What helped me the most about this book was the different reactions and ways that the different friends wanted, and could, help. Not everyone who cared for Sally could do the same thing, but we all loved her, and wanted to help her. We all had varied opinions of her progress, prognosis, what she should and shouldn't do about her family, etc. This book help me to realize that it is okay for people to feel differently about supporting and caring for a sick friend. I suggested this book to many of my friends who were affected by Sally's illness. I gently mentioned several times during our discussions about Sally (we still have Sally get togethers to talk about her)that it is okay to feel differently about the things Sally, and we, were going through. That no one person was right or wrong, and that we all have the right to our ideas about how to deal with this devastating issue. I am thankful to Elizabeth Berg for writing a moving story of friends dealing with a good friend's illness and death. I appreciate that some of the characters were not likable because, truly, that is the reality of humans. And, as her book shows us, sometimes we are unlikable because we are hurting, and in emotional or physical pain. Just like Ann's family, my family too lost my care and attention at times. My times with Sally were sacred to me, and I changed my schedule to suit hers. But, this sacrifice is a real one many of us would make, and our own families can cope just fine.