Loretha Curry - an African-American woman who lives in Pasadena, California - will be 68-years-old in a few days, on New Year's Eve.
As Loretha approaches her seventh decade, she's doing relatively well. Loretha has been happily married to her third husband Carl for over two decades;
she has a close group of caring girlfriends who've known each other since high school;
she has a beloved German Shepherd named B.B. King;
and she's well-off financially. Loretha has two beauty product shops and she and Carl - a retired contractor - own apartments and houses they rent out.
Loretha also has ongoing concerns. Her fraternal twin sister Odessa is resentful, distant and ornery; her son Jackson lives in faraway Tokyo with his wife and two babies; her daughter Jalecia is an alcoholic who's been estranged for over a year; her granddaughter Cinnamon and Cinnamon's boyfriend Jonas - who are ambitious but underemployed - are expecting twins; and she's had to place her 86-old-mother, who's in the early stages of dementia, in an assisted living facility.
Loretha has asked Carl not to make her ANOTHER surprise birthday party this year, but is sure he'll make one anyway. Thus Loretha is pleasantly shocked on New Year's Eve when Carl wafts her off to their favorite Palm Springs resort, where he's booked their favorite room.
Loretha goes upstairs while Carl deals with the car, and finds a bottle of expensive champagne and a large plate of figs, squares of white and black chocolate, grapes, four kinds of cheese, and assorted crackers.
Then things go terribly wrong when Carl has a fatal heart attack, and Loretha is plunged into grief and mourning, unable to fathom life without Carl.
Loretha's friends - Poochie, Lucky, Korynthia, and Sadie - surround and support her, and Karl's relatives from Detroit come to pay their respects.
With the tender care of her gal-pals, Loretha eventually gets back to a semblance of her old life, which now includes a young man named Kwame, who reveals he's a son Carl never knew he had, conceived before Carl met Loretha.
As the story unfolds, we follow Loretha's personal life as well as her interactions with her friends and relatives. Loretha's doctor tells her she has diabetes, and advises Loretha to lose weight, embark on an exercise program, and check her blood regularly.
Loretha does none of that. She continues to consume high calorie foods like cheeseburgers, fries, and desserts; doesn't attend exercise classes; and never tests her glucose levels. Loretha knows she's doing the wrong thing, but lacks the will power to do right.
Meanwhile Loretha and her friends resume their monthly dinners, where the women discuss the ups and downs of their lives. Sadie is an avid churchgoer who was thought to be a closet lesbian until she revealed a big secret; Lucky's husband has moved into their guest house and the couple may be headed for divorce; Poochie - who participates via FaceTime - is currently nursing her sick mother in Las Vegas; and Korynthia is a fitness teacher who's started using senior citizen dating sites.
Loretha's wealth seems like a curse as well as a blessing, because people always have their hands out. Loretha's sister Odessa insists she's getting their mom's house, which Loretha owns; Loretha's ex-sister-in-law Peggy (who Loretha never liked) is always calling to ask for money; Loretha's daughter Jalecia doesn't even phone to wish her mother Happy Birthday, but calls when she needs $5,000 for bail; etc.
On top of that, Loretha is exceptionally generous, and allows people to live in her rental units free and pays for things most people wouldn't.
We follow Loretha's life for a year following Carl's death, and see her experience family drama; crises; tragedies; and some fun times as well - like a girl's night at a strip club.
Though Loretha goes through hard times, the novel has a good deal of humor, which lightens the narrative considerably. The story also has a fairy tale vibe, as things tend to go right in the end. This seems unrealistic, but it's a minor quibble about an uplifting book that addresses the real-life concerns of aging and loss.
And dog lovers will adore B.B. King, who's a wonderful companion for Loretha.
Rating: 4 stars
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