Brit is determined to help Flo, who may or may not have Alzheimer's, but it's Flo who has the biggest surprise for her young friend.
Her dream was to go to university. Instead she’s in a nursing home hunting a killer.
When high school graduate, Brittany Wright, gets a job cleaning at Happy Hearts nursing home, she is terrified of old lady Flo and desperately wishes she could be in college instead.
An unlikely friendship develops between the two. Brittany discovers that Flo, who may or may not have Alzheimer’s, is in grave danger. But, from whom and why?
As Flo’s condition worsens, Brittany scrambles to save her. But, ironically, it may be Flo who saves Brittany.
When the Sun was Mine: If you like suspenseful mysteries with complex and strong characters you’ll love this adult read, hopeful and humorous in spite of the ugliness of Alzheimer’s.
Buy When the Sun was Mine to experience a unique friendship steeped in intrigue and surprising twists.
Excerpt
Brittany Wright. Brittany Wrong. Right. Wrong. Right. Wrong. I grabbed my laptop and peered out the door. Hallway empty. Good. I snuck past the nurses’ desk. Needn’t have worried. It was vacant. I could hear talking and laughter coming from the staffroom. Yep, that’s the way we work at Happy Hearts.
I set up in the visitor lounge—the only place I’d found in the whole damn ward with Internet access and guaranteed to be empty at this time of night or morning, whatever it was. I never looked at a clock. What did time matter anyway? Actually, it mattered. A lot. Day after day after day dragging by as my life slogged along to its end. There had to be a better way. I gave myself a mental kick in the ass. Didn’t need to go there yet again. I read my emails, deleted the junk and replied to the one that counted.
Brittany was a pathetic little thing at first glance, but get rid of the shoddy shoes and ratty uniform … add a little exercise, new glasses, a touch of makeup and she wouldn’t look too bad, maybe even pretty. She had a pert nose and a nice wide mouth to go with those great cheek bones. Made me think of all those old-time movie stars. I bet she had a wonderful smile, if she ever smiled, that is. I typed an email and hit send. Brittany needed to be fixed and I knew just where to start.
Back in my room, I sat on the bed, laptop on my knee and typed furiously. Death was a deadline that loomed ominously. I had to get this done and soon. Write at night, sleep by day. That was my motto. Kept old liver lips Matthews from suspecting anything. Ah, Mitch, if you could see me now, you’d be proud.
Professional Reviews
A Story with Heart
I usually avoid reading stories wrapped around Alzheimer's because it is such a fearsome disease, but Jones' story doesn't live there. Flo, the woman afflicted with the disease is a person of imagination and zest, involved in one more powerful round with life. As a former journalist and war correspondent, fearless in the face of what sends others away terrified, she brings that spirit to this story. Thus it is not a tale wallowing in sorrow and despair, but one of defiance and humor and delight from a lady who lived with verve. When Flo's life crosses paths with a young, naive teenager named Brittany, who works at the Happy Hearts Home where the story takes place, another dimension is added and a mystery begins. The relationship that develops between the two feels authentic and touching, and their relationship fills the pages with warmth and a saucy education that Flo offers this coming-of-age young woman.
WHEN THE SUN WAS MINE also makes its mark in terms of social commentary on this disease and our present response to it. But the strongest comment of all for me was that when you have people willing to care, even those newly in your life, the most dreadful of situations can still touch your heart and leave you as the reader with possibility rather than loss.
Outstanding story
Flo and Brittany. Brittany and Flo--a relationship born in shock and fascination, breaking down age barriers immediately. No spoilers in here, but the opening of When the Sun was Mine is filled with mystery and love stories, which leads the young Brittany into an exploration of herself and her views on the elderly. Flo guides her through both.
I enjoyed When the Sun was Mine because of the growth and development of the relationship between the young Brittany and the much older Flo.
Set mostly in the nursing home, Happy Hearts--the greatest misnomer of all--this novel addresses something rarely touched in writing. The author takes us inside the mind of Flo, suffering from the early stage symptoms of Alzheimer's--or is she? Because of the mystery slowly unraveling at the center of the plot, the reader is never sure if Flo is faking the symptoms to aid her investigation, or if she really doesn't remember some things. It's a brilliant literary touch because it creates a confusion in the reader that provides a brief glimpse into how it must be for Flo, who moves back and forth between and through the shadows of her memories and her present existence.
Those beginning stages of this disease can be the most challenging for loved ones and the most terrifying for the patient.
I know from experience with an aunt and a brother. When both of my relatives knew they were declining and knew they were defenseless against what was happening, they broke my hearts in their helpless knowledge. My brother, a respected and innovative mathematician, felt frustrated in those early days.
"There's plenty of material out there for the caretakers of the Alzheimer's patient," he told me. "But I can't find a thing about how it is for me, the patient."
He still had those moments of lucidity, and in those moments, he was anxious to find out all he could before he had a setback where he wouldn't even be able to remember the word for what he had.
Ms. Jones takes the reader on that journey into the mind of the Alzheimer's victim in her characterization of Flo. Yet she manages to prevent the novel from devolving into a dark abyss by using humor through Flo's own antics and the inexperienced fumblings of her young accomplices, Brittany and two of her friends.
Mystery mixed with contemporary realities provide for an enjoyable read because once the reader sees Flo in all her naked honesty in that first chapter, the ride surprises us with its twists and turns.
It takes a talented author to bring us contemporary issues that not only entertain but cause us to pause and wonder at the possibilities for our dreams, no matter our age or condition. And Darlene Jones has achieved that in her latest novel, When the Sun was Mine.
A gripping mystery. An unusual friendship.
Expertly written, suspenseful, the mystery grips you from the first page. The author manages the feat of getting you into the mind of a person who is affected by Alzheimer's, the character named "Flo" that you encounter on that first page - she comes straightaway with a zany touch of sex, sweeping aside feelings of prudery. And that makes for a surprising, entirely satisfying beginning. Later, you feel Flo's fear of "losing it", confusion creeping in and yet it does not make for a depressing read, on the contrary. There are moments of true poetic beauty as a delicate, unusual friendship develops between a young girl (Brit) and an old lady(Flo).
This is a real page turner, and I won't reveal the mystery here. If you're looking for a diversion, something that will take you away from your daily routine this is the book for you.
But this book does a little more than merely provide entertainment: it makes you wonder how things really happen in old people's homes and how a disease as complex as Alzheimer's should be handled; in short, how to avoid having such patients turn into victims whenever their families abandon them (something I suspect many do). This is a serious issue - tough questions! - and this book brings it home.
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