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Counting Backwards
A married couple deals with the husband’s decline from Lewy body dementia in a profound and deeply moving novel shot through with Kirshenbaum's lacerating humor.It begins with of a man on stilts, an acting troupe, Ghandi. At first, these seem benign, almost comical, and are likely connected with an ocular issue. It’s something he and his wife can make jokes about. But soon he starts to experience other cognitive symptoms,Ìýmemory problems, disorientation. He’s a scientist, an auto-immune researcher, and still middle aged. Too young for Alzheimers. She is a moderately successful college artist. They live together with a cat â€� a pleasant, quiet New York City marriage. Then he receives the diagnosis of Lewy Body Disease, and its march of aphasia, difficulty with simple tasks, losses of lucidity.ÌýHe has a life expectancy of 3 to 8 years. There are moves as his care becomes more difficult, or he lapses into periodic and uncharacteristic acts of from Leo and his wife’s apartment, to his sister’s house, then an assisted living, then another assisted living, then hospice. Health aides, a continual outflow of money. His wife does what she can, but is able to do so much less than she wants. Watching him die â€� too fast, and yet not fast enough.ÌýKirshenbaum captures the couple’s final years and months together in short scenes that burn with anger, humor, love, and pain. With no sentimentalizing whatsoever, she tracks the brutal destruction of the disease, as well as the small moments of beauty and happiness that still exist for them amidst the larger tides of loss.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published March 25, 2025
43 people are currently reading
4,572 people want to read
About the author
Binnie Kirshenbaum
21Ìýbooks117ÌýfollowersBinnie Kirshenbaum is the author of two short story collections, six novels, and numerous essays and reviews. Her work is noted for its humorous and ribald prose, which often disguises themes of human loneliness and the yearning for connection. Her heroines are usually urban, very smart, and chastened by lifetimes of unwelcome surprises. Kirshenbaum has been published in German, French, Hebrew, Turkish, and several other languages.
Kirshenbaum grew up in New York and attended Columbia University and Brooklyn College. She is the chair of the Writing Division of the Columbia University Graduate School of the Arts, where she has served as a professor of fiction for more than a decade.
Called, “a humorist, even a comedian, a sort of stand-up tragic,� by Richard Howard, Kirshenbaum has twice won Critics� Choice Awards and was selected as one of the Best Young American Novelists by Granta Magazine. Kirshenbaum was also a nominee for The National Jewish Book Award for her novel Hester Among the Ruins. Her new novel, The Scenic Route, was published in May, 2009. Of the novel, Gary Steyngart says, “The Scenic Route is warm, wise, and very difficult to put down."
Binnie Kirshenbaum lives and works in New York City.
Binnie Kirshenbaum was born in Yonkers and grew up in Westchester County. After attending Columbia University as an undergraduate, Kirshenbaum earned her MFA at Brooklyn College. She taught at Wagner College before joining the faculty at the Writing Division of Columbia University's School of the Arts.
Kirshenbaum grew up in New York and attended Columbia University and Brooklyn College. She is the chair of the Writing Division of the Columbia University Graduate School of the Arts, where she has served as a professor of fiction for more than a decade.
Called, “a humorist, even a comedian, a sort of stand-up tragic,� by Richard Howard, Kirshenbaum has twice won Critics� Choice Awards and was selected as one of the Best Young American Novelists by Granta Magazine. Kirshenbaum was also a nominee for The National Jewish Book Award for her novel Hester Among the Ruins. Her new novel, The Scenic Route, was published in May, 2009. Of the novel, Gary Steyngart says, “The Scenic Route is warm, wise, and very difficult to put down."
Binnie Kirshenbaum lives and works in New York City.
Binnie Kirshenbaum was born in Yonkers and grew up in Westchester County. After attending Columbia University as an undergraduate, Kirshenbaum earned her MFA at Brooklyn College. She taught at Wagner College before joining the faculty at the Writing Division of Columbia University's School of the Arts.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 15, 2025
Counting Backwards by Binnie Kirshenbaum is a deeply affecting novel that explores the devastating effects of Lewy body disease on both the individual suffering from it and their loved ones. The story follows Leo, a scientist who begins experiencing hallucinations and cognitive lapses that gradually worsen. His wife, Addie, an artist, struggles to navigate the emotional and logistical challenges of his decline. Told in fragmented, sharply observed vignettes with a unique second-person narration, the novel captures the heartbreaking deterioration of their relationship, the frustration of unanswered medical questions, and the moral complexities of caregiving.
The use of second-person narration is a bold choice that adds to the novel’s immersive quality, placing the reader directly into the unfolding tragedy. The structure—brief glimpses into specific moments—mirrors Leo’s disjointed reality, reinforcing the impact of his neurological disease. The author does an exceptional job of portraying Leo’s decline, starting with subtle hallucinations and progressing to more severe symptoms like memory loss and auditory delusions. The pacing of his deterioration feels natural, making his condition’s worsening all the more poignant.
However, there are a few inconsistencies that stand out, which could be due to this being an advanced copy. The timeline is somewhat confusing; at one point, Addie references an eye doctor Leo has had since 1923, suggesting an earlier time period, but a later mention of a cell phone contradicts this. Similarly, there’s a discrepancy regarding Addie and Leo’s relationship—one passage states they’ve been together for 24 years, while another suggests they’ve been married for less than a year. These minor inconsistencies may be polished before publication, but they momentarily pulled me out of the narrative.
Addie’s journey is just as emotionally raw as Leo’s, though her character arc is at times difficult to sympathize with. Her growing resentment and exhaustion are understandable—caring for a loved one with dementia is an immense burden—but her emotional detachment feels abrupt. While it’s clear she struggles with guilt, her eagerness to move Leo into a facility and then a separate apartment, without fully exploring more measured options, raises questions. Her jealousy toward Larissa, Leo’s caretaker, also seems contradictory—she doesn’t want to be responsible for Leo’s day-to-day needs, yet she resents Larissa’s role in providing that care. These complexities make Addie a well-developed but sometimes frustrating character, which may be the novel’s intent.
Overall, Counting Backwards is a raw and unflinching portrayal of love, loss, and the emotional toll of degenerative illness. It’s not an easy read, but it’s deeply thought-provoking, offering a realistic, if at times painful, look at the experience of watching a loved one disappear before your eyes. Fans of literary fiction that tackles difficult themes with sharp prose and emotional depth will find much to appreciate here.
Thanks to Soho Press for the advance edition, received through a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ giveaway!
The use of second-person narration is a bold choice that adds to the novel’s immersive quality, placing the reader directly into the unfolding tragedy. The structure—brief glimpses into specific moments—mirrors Leo’s disjointed reality, reinforcing the impact of his neurological disease. The author does an exceptional job of portraying Leo’s decline, starting with subtle hallucinations and progressing to more severe symptoms like memory loss and auditory delusions. The pacing of his deterioration feels natural, making his condition’s worsening all the more poignant.
However, there are a few inconsistencies that stand out, which could be due to this being an advanced copy. The timeline is somewhat confusing; at one point, Addie references an eye doctor Leo has had since 1923, suggesting an earlier time period, but a later mention of a cell phone contradicts this. Similarly, there’s a discrepancy regarding Addie and Leo’s relationship—one passage states they’ve been together for 24 years, while another suggests they’ve been married for less than a year. These minor inconsistencies may be polished before publication, but they momentarily pulled me out of the narrative.
Addie’s journey is just as emotionally raw as Leo’s, though her character arc is at times difficult to sympathize with. Her growing resentment and exhaustion are understandable—caring for a loved one with dementia is an immense burden—but her emotional detachment feels abrupt. While it’s clear she struggles with guilt, her eagerness to move Leo into a facility and then a separate apartment, without fully exploring more measured options, raises questions. Her jealousy toward Larissa, Leo’s caretaker, also seems contradictory—she doesn’t want to be responsible for Leo’s day-to-day needs, yet she resents Larissa’s role in providing that care. These complexities make Addie a well-developed but sometimes frustrating character, which may be the novel’s intent.
Overall, Counting Backwards is a raw and unflinching portrayal of love, loss, and the emotional toll of degenerative illness. It’s not an easy read, but it’s deeply thought-provoking, offering a realistic, if at times painful, look at the experience of watching a loved one disappear before your eyes. Fans of literary fiction that tackles difficult themes with sharp prose and emotional depth will find much to appreciate here.
Thanks to Soho Press for the advance edition, received through a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ giveaway!
April 1, 2025
What a heartbreaking book. I knew this would be a difficult read, but I figured that that would be because of Leo's decline - and while that's part of it, most of it was because of Addison's reaction. I was grateful for the way the book is structured out of short vignettes, which provide a bit of a breather and make everything easier to take.
April 5, 2025
4.5 stars: In Manhattan, the narrator’s husband descends into Lewy Body dementia, an affliction I am somewhat familiar with because my FIL had it. The thing about LBD that Kirshinbaum gets exactly right is the day-to-day variability: one day fine, the next “who is that little girl standing on the table?� And eventually, trying to eat napkins with a knife and fork. She has an amazing eye for detail, and the emotion shines through the trenchancy.
A half marked off for a section about the narrator’s struggling career as a professional collage artist desperate to fund her husband’s care which was not very interesting (possibly because collage art is not very, but possibly because in the middle stages of the disease life go this way). Otherwise narrator is funny and moving by crabwise steps.
A half marked off for a section about the narrator’s struggling career as a professional collage artist desperate to fund her husband’s care which was not very interesting (possibly because collage art is not very, but possibly because in the middle stages of the disease life go this way). Otherwise narrator is funny and moving by crabwise steps.
November 7, 2024
Husband and wife Leo and Addie are living a comfortable life when he is diagnosed with early-onset Lewy Body dementia. The first signs are hallucinations, and Leo being a scientist, is self aware enough to realize that they are not real. A real and raw look at a marriage rocked by a horrible disease and heavy burdens on the surviving spouse. Kirshenbaum is such a talented writer that readers will believe that they are reading a memoir.
*I read an advance copy and was not compensated.
*I read an advance copy and was not compensated.
April 5, 2025
Kirshenbaum delivers a story at once insane, sad, funny, and hopeless due to the circumstances involved. As I read the book I kept wondering how crazy I would become were I in Addie’s shoes. (I don’t think I’d get a cat but�.). The reader is apprised of the myriad difficulties involved caring for someone who is slowly losing connection with life and dying, not the least of which is the cost involved. Addie did make me clench my jaw numerous times but all that did was point out the situation she was involved in more clearly. It would have been fun to know how Addie and Leo got together.
March 19, 2025
I received this book as an arc. It was truly an amazing and heartbreaking story. Addie watches her love Leo turn into someone she doesn’t know when he’s diagnosed with lewy body dementia. I couldn’t imagine the love of my life losing himself. I highly recommend this book!
March 21, 2025
The book had good content. What I didnt like- the author referred to the mans wife as "you" rather than her name, as she told told story. I found it distracting.
December 28, 2024
There was something wrong with Leo. Addie knew her 53 year old husband very well and was puzzled by some of his new behaviors. Beginning with the strange things he was seeing from their New York apartment window, Leo started to forget things and to express himself in unusual ways. As a whip smart professor and medical research specialist, he had already selected his doctors for their expertise, and began consultations. First was the opthamologist, next was a neurologist, then the neuropsychiatrist, then the CT scan and the MRI...nothing was wrong with him and all tests came back negative. Alzheimers was ruled out, as was everything else. But that didn't stop the strange behavior, and his university colleagues noticed. Since he was tenured they couldn't fire him, but they gave him medical leave plus his sabbatical at full salary for a year, then he would be forced to retire, but social security doesn't begin until he's 62. Addie is an artist whose medium is collage-how will she keep their apartment on her unreliable commissions?
As two years passed and no one would listen to her including her supposed friends, she was at the end of her rope-she called the suicide hotline. They referred her to a mental health consultant, who, after seeing all of Addie's documentation and quizzing her about Leo, gave a preliminary diagnosis of Lewey body dementia, which proved to be correct. She warned Addie that Leo's decline will be erratic and unpredictable, and that she should prepare to manage an appropriate place for him and to make sure all important papers are in order, including power of attorney, medical instructions and his will. She left her office relieved to finally know, but terrified that she finally knew.
As we follow Addie and Leo's path to the inevitable, we are given a window into a horrible neurological disease which can be worse for the caregiver than the patient. Kirshenbaum doesn't hold back in enumerating Addie's constant battles as she tries to find a suitable place for Leo to live, with a caring staff and a cheerful environment. When she finds the perfect personal aide, it is with relief that he will be well taken care of and a strange feeling of jealousy that Larisa knows what's better for Leo than she does.
The author made an interesting stylistic decision to put the narration of the novel in the second person, as if Addie is being told the story of what happened during those last years with her husband. Who is actually telling the story? Did Addie forget what happened? How long ago did it occur? Is Addie going through a mental crisis of her own? To me, the questions this brings up are another layer to the novel-much to digest here.
As two years passed and no one would listen to her including her supposed friends, she was at the end of her rope-she called the suicide hotline. They referred her to a mental health consultant, who, after seeing all of Addie's documentation and quizzing her about Leo, gave a preliminary diagnosis of Lewey body dementia, which proved to be correct. She warned Addie that Leo's decline will be erratic and unpredictable, and that she should prepare to manage an appropriate place for him and to make sure all important papers are in order, including power of attorney, medical instructions and his will. She left her office relieved to finally know, but terrified that she finally knew.
As we follow Addie and Leo's path to the inevitable, we are given a window into a horrible neurological disease which can be worse for the caregiver than the patient. Kirshenbaum doesn't hold back in enumerating Addie's constant battles as she tries to find a suitable place for Leo to live, with a caring staff and a cheerful environment. When she finds the perfect personal aide, it is with relief that he will be well taken care of and a strange feeling of jealousy that Larisa knows what's better for Leo than she does.
The author made an interesting stylistic decision to put the narration of the novel in the second person, as if Addie is being told the story of what happened during those last years with her husband. Who is actually telling the story? Did Addie forget what happened? How long ago did it occur? Is Addie going through a mental crisis of her own? To me, the questions this brings up are another layer to the novel-much to digest here.
April 6, 2025
There may be no medium as self-conscious or self-absorbed as writing. Every book is about writing, something I’ve come to take for granted so much that I don’t notice it. Until a book like Binnie Kirshenbaum’s Counting Backwards comes along and shows what can happen when a skilled writer puts her craft to work for a purpose other than demonstrating what a good writer she is. Counting Backwards achieves the emotional intensity and connectedness of theater while still drawing on the unique powers of literature to create vast interior landscapes. The identification achieved by this novel had me feeling the protagonist’s discomfort, impatience, guilt, and love, before she articulated them herself. I sometimes thought I was feeling her emotions with her in real time, a trick of the mind I’m sure.
It would have been easy for Ms. Kirshenbaum to tell the story of early onset dementia (specifically, Lewy body disease) and its inescapable trajectory and destination, wrapped in sentimental, “life affirming� tropes. She doesn’t. She gives the reader an honest experience of life as lived through an honest, imperfect protagonist, who can say she is alive and not need to put a bow on it.
This wonderful book may be too subtle, too self-effacing, for its own good. Ms. Kirshenbaum doesn’t draw attention to the skill that makes her novel work, so the reader may feel the emotional knots without realizing how difficult they are to tie. And I suspect Ms. Kirshenbaum would say that’s just fine, that she didn’t write the novel to show off her knot tying ability or anything else.
I hesitate to add this, but for point of view nerds (I count myself among you) this novel offers a rare second person narrator and protagonist, demonstrating what this difficult point of view can accomplish, bring the reader uncomfortably close to the narrator, feeling the story through and in the narrator in a way I don’t think could be done in straight first-person or the popular third-person limited points of view.
It would have been easy for Ms. Kirshenbaum to tell the story of early onset dementia (specifically, Lewy body disease) and its inescapable trajectory and destination, wrapped in sentimental, “life affirming� tropes. She doesn’t. She gives the reader an honest experience of life as lived through an honest, imperfect protagonist, who can say she is alive and not need to put a bow on it.
This wonderful book may be too subtle, too self-effacing, for its own good. Ms. Kirshenbaum doesn’t draw attention to the skill that makes her novel work, so the reader may feel the emotional knots without realizing how difficult they are to tie. And I suspect Ms. Kirshenbaum would say that’s just fine, that she didn’t write the novel to show off her knot tying ability or anything else.
I hesitate to add this, but for point of view nerds (I count myself among you) this novel offers a rare second person narrator and protagonist, demonstrating what this difficult point of view can accomplish, bring the reader uncomfortably close to the narrator, feeling the story through and in the narrator in a way I don’t think could be done in straight first-person or the popular third-person limited points of view.
March 17, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media and author Binnie Kirshenbaum for gifting me an ALC of Counting Backwards. In exchange for the review copy, I offer my honest opinion.
Counting Backwards by Binnie Kirschenbaum is the 2025 version of Still Alice and it’s just as brilliant and heartbreaking. Not an easy read, especially if you have a family member living with dementia/ Alzheimers. This is the story of Addie & Leo, a middle-aged cosmopolitan couple who should be planning for their future golden years are however, facing an uncertain fate. There is so much to unpack in this contemplative novel. The story will have you running through all the emotions.
Counting Backwards would make for a fantastic and robust bookclub discussion. Binnie Kirshenbaum’s newest book will definitely be on my top 2025 reads.
Available March 25! Absolutely pick up a copy, you won’t regret it.
Audio read by Cassandra Campbell is outstanding.
Counting Backwards by Binnie Kirschenbaum is the 2025 version of Still Alice and it’s just as brilliant and heartbreaking. Not an easy read, especially if you have a family member living with dementia/ Alzheimers. This is the story of Addie & Leo, a middle-aged cosmopolitan couple who should be planning for their future golden years are however, facing an uncertain fate. There is so much to unpack in this contemplative novel. The story will have you running through all the emotions.
Counting Backwards would make for a fantastic and robust bookclub discussion. Binnie Kirshenbaum’s newest book will definitely be on my top 2025 reads.
Available March 25! Absolutely pick up a copy, you won’t regret it.
Audio read by Cassandra Campbell is outstanding.
October 10, 2024
The author writes as an observer (you feel this, you do this) of her own experience. This is the story of Addison's journey with her husband Leo through his symptoms and eventual diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia. Her writing is extremely personal. Her writing takes the reader into their lives, the forays from doctors to hospitals to assisted care facilities to private nursing. After many poor physicians' diagnoses and horrible hospital stays, Addison finds an amazing caretaker for her husband. Her own work as a visual artist is parallel to this story; she becomes the sole provider since Leo cannot work after his memory and speech are gone.
For anyone dealing with this illness, or premature dementia in a family member, this book as an essential read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Edelweiss Plus for the eARC.
For anyone dealing with this illness, or premature dementia in a family member, this book as an essential read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Edelweiss Plus for the eARC.
March 23, 2025
This book is gutting…thank goodness it is also funny. Addie, a female artist, lives with her 56 year-old physician husband, Leo, and their cat in NYC. He starts experiencing hallucinations, leading to the eventual diagnosis of Lewy Body disease, a form of dementia. This is their story, told from Addie’s perspective and experience. It is a moving story about love and what “in sickness and in health� might mean. Addie is a realist and darkly funny, and we see her struggle to stay present in the face of his incremental deterioration. I highly recommend adults 40+ read and discuss.
The audiobook is well narrated except for the home health worker’s Jamaican accent that sounded way off the mark to my ears.
My thanks to the author, publisher, RB Media, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #CountingBackwards for review purposes. Publication date: 25 March 2025.
The audiobook is well narrated except for the home health worker’s Jamaican accent that sounded way off the mark to my ears.
My thanks to the author, publisher, RB Media, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #CountingBackwards for review purposes. Publication date: 25 March 2025.
April 18, 2025
My family and I thought that my mother had Lewy Bodies dementia after we went down the rabbit hole of websites devoted to the description of the disease.
I recognized the character of Addie and her behavior - I experienced much of the fear and anxiety of the early days of my mother’s fall into dementia. She didn’t have Leo’s pronounced hallucinations but she must have had something similar because she told so many stories of occurrences that didn’t make sense. She wasn’t as young as poor Leo but the pain doesn’t go away. I wish I had someone like Larissa to take care of Mom. While she was very expensive and did seem to take advantage of Addie’s kindness, her heart was in the right place.
I could not have read this book 5 years ago when my Mom passed but today it was Cathartic. Loved it.
I recognized the character of Addie and her behavior - I experienced much of the fear and anxiety of the early days of my mother’s fall into dementia. She didn’t have Leo’s pronounced hallucinations but she must have had something similar because she told so many stories of occurrences that didn’t make sense. She wasn’t as young as poor Leo but the pain doesn’t go away. I wish I had someone like Larissa to take care of Mom. While she was very expensive and did seem to take advantage of Addie’s kindness, her heart was in the right place.
I could not have read this book 5 years ago when my Mom passed but today it was Cathartic. Loved it.
April 4, 2025
Collage artist Addie faces her 54-year-old research scientist husband's descent from brilliance to the dementia of Lewy body disease in a narrative that's furious, exasperated, despairing, poignant, and humorous as she struggles to survive. Heartening.
"...but she is a Chihuahua in the shape of a person and has been calling every other day to ask how it's going, and because you don't want her to piddle on the floor, you tell her, 'It's going great. I'm , almost there.'" p.17
"... you say, 'Well, hello there.' If a Hostess Twinkie could talk, it would sound like you." p. 338
"You wouldn't be surprised if, instead of showing you how many times you have visited this site, Google tells you, '_Enough already._' p. 327
"...but she is a Chihuahua in the shape of a person and has been calling every other day to ask how it's going, and because you don't want her to piddle on the floor, you tell her, 'It's going great. I'm , almost there.'" p.17
"... you say, 'Well, hello there.' If a Hostess Twinkie could talk, it would sound like you." p. 338
"You wouldn't be surprised if, instead of showing you how many times you have visited this site, Google tells you, '_Enough already._' p. 327
April 17, 2025
Thie author took on a heartbreaking situation and found humor in the tragedy. I thought the similes were fantastic. She created an accurate description of the mixed feelings of caregivers who are grieving, exhausted, angry, afraid, and just over it all. Having to relinquish care to strangers and experiencing financial difficulties were true. I hate second person and for the author to use the final sentence to explain why the novel was written in this perspective made the choice feel even more gimmicky. For all the accurate depiction of family experiences in a drawn out neurodegenerative disease, I cannot understand why the author made such an early error when he gave a prognosis for a melanoma on sight.
April 26, 2025
Wow! If you’re ready for a tough, brutally honest expose of life with someone with dementia, this might be it.
The novel is narrated by Addie, an artist married to Leo, a brilliant research scientist who is descending, at first slowly and then very rapidly into Lewy Body Dementia. At first it is hallucinations, then memory issues, then inability to perform even simple tasks, and finally violence and full cognitive decline.
This sounds like a horribly sad book, and in many ways it was, but the short chapters and unexpected humor helped, as did the character of his aide Larissa. Initially I was horrified by the narrator’s snarkiness and lack of compassion, but then I saw beyond that to her deep love for her husband. That is one of the courageous things about this book --- she dares to say what most spouses in this situation must think, but would never say.
This book is not for everyone, but I found it highly informative, disturbing, and even empathy-inducing.
The novel is narrated by Addie, an artist married to Leo, a brilliant research scientist who is descending, at first slowly and then very rapidly into Lewy Body Dementia. At first it is hallucinations, then memory issues, then inability to perform even simple tasks, and finally violence and full cognitive decline.
This sounds like a horribly sad book, and in many ways it was, but the short chapters and unexpected humor helped, as did the character of his aide Larissa. Initially I was horrified by the narrator’s snarkiness and lack of compassion, but then I saw beyond that to her deep love for her husband. That is one of the courageous things about this book --- she dares to say what most spouses in this situation must think, but would never say.
This book is not for everyone, but I found it highly informative, disturbing, and even empathy-inducing.
April 1, 2025
Counting Backwards by Binnie Kirshenbaum is okay. I just couldn't get into it, mostly due to it being in second person POV. It was distracting, especially when Addie made decisions I didn't agree with, whereas had it been in first or third person, I could have respected them as being hers. I felt that I was supposed to feel big emotions, but I just never felt them. I understand I am an outlier, which is why I rounded my review up from 2 to 3.
Cassandra Campbell is an okay narrator. I kept her at speed 1.25 and was able to still follow along.
Thank you to RB Media for providing me with an ALC.
Cassandra Campbell is an okay narrator. I kept her at speed 1.25 and was able to still follow along.
Thank you to RB Media for providing me with an ALC.
April 20, 2025
A huge disappointment for me.
I don’t care how wonderful a caregiver Larissa is, no paid caregiver is or should be willing to work 24/7 without break—so unrealistic.
This book further confirmed that having money and the lifestyle such as these characters is a win!
The author’s description of caregivers ( other than the perfect Larissa) were quite negative. Most caregivers in this setting are women of color who make very little hourly wage—I have yet to meet one who makes $35 p/hr plus the perks.
I don’t care how wonderful a caregiver Larissa is, no paid caregiver is or should be willing to work 24/7 without break—so unrealistic.
This book further confirmed that having money and the lifestyle such as these characters is a win!
The author’s description of caregivers ( other than the perfect Larissa) were quite negative. Most caregivers in this setting are women of color who make very little hourly wage—I have yet to meet one who makes $35 p/hr plus the perks.
March 22, 2025
#CountingBackwards #NetGalley
This story hit a little too close to home. Similarly to Leo, my father passed from Parkinson’s. He too was an incredibly well-knowledged and well-read scholarly man who knew before any of us that he had the disease. The author either personally went through all of these emotions and thoughts or she did one hell of a job researching what it’s like to mourn the person you love the most while they’re still alive. I just wish we all have a Larissa during those times.
This story hit a little too close to home. Similarly to Leo, my father passed from Parkinson’s. He too was an incredibly well-knowledged and well-read scholarly man who knew before any of us that he had the disease. The author either personally went through all of these emotions and thoughts or she did one hell of a job researching what it’s like to mourn the person you love the most while they’re still alive. I just wish we all have a Larissa during those times.
March 31, 2025
Counting Backwards by Binnie Kirshenbaum is a heartbreaking yet beautifully written novel about a couple facing Lewy body dementia. The story captures their final years with raw honesty—moments of anger, love, humor, and deep pain. Kirshenbaum doesn’t shy away from the brutal realities of the disease but also finds glimpses of beauty in the midst of loss. It’s an emotionally intense read, but if you appreciate deeply human stories about love and resilience, this one is worth it.
April 5, 2025
4.5 Stars
If you’re a fan of Binnie’s - or had the pleasure of reading any of her other works, you’ll appreciate her latest gift to the reading community. In her own unique, take-it-or-leave-it style, Binnie once again (ala not so quietly) reminds us what a talent for words she possesses, while stinging you through laughter.
My take: You either can appreciate, and/or are blessed to feast on Binnie’s writing style, or you aren’t. There’s never an in between.
If you’re a fan of Binnie’s - or had the pleasure of reading any of her other works, you’ll appreciate her latest gift to the reading community. In her own unique, take-it-or-leave-it style, Binnie once again (ala not so quietly) reminds us what a talent for words she possesses, while stinging you through laughter.
My take: You either can appreciate, and/or are blessed to feast on Binnie’s writing style, or you aren’t. There’s never an in between.
March 1, 2025
Thanks to Soho Press for the copy.
A raw description of the affect of Lewy Body dementia from two different perspectives, the patient and his spouse. From the frustrations and difficulties of getting a diagnosis to coping with the everyday issues to finding how to care for him and ultimately how to care for herself, the author makes the book personal and emotiona.
A raw description of the affect of Lewy Body dementia from two different perspectives, the patient and his spouse. From the frustrations and difficulties of getting a diagnosis to coping with the everyday issues to finding how to care for him and ultimately how to care for herself, the author makes the book personal and emotiona.
March 28, 2025
Heartbreaking but also comedic at the same time. I couldn't imagine going through something like this, but the author took such a creative spin on it and the main character's inner monologues were so raw and unfiltered, it gave a fresh perspective to a horrible illness.
Received audiobook from NetGalley
Received audiobook from NetGalley
April 6, 2025
I haven’t wept this hard at a book in a really long time
April 8, 2025
I found this book to be irritating for a number of reasons.
April 10, 2025
Such a beautifully tragic story that is the reality for many families. This story was close to home and made me cry.
April 18, 2025
Poignant, sad sometimes humorous and with a wealth of warmth.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
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