Edie Browne's Cottage by the Sea by Jane Linfoot (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Of all of the fictional locations I wish I could visit, Jane Linfoot's St Aidan in Cornwall isn't just at the top of the list of places I wish I could visit -- it's at the top of the list of places I wish I could call home. I first fell in love with St Aidan and Jane's storytelling abilities three years ago with the first book in her Little Wedding Shop series (which I loved so much it got a Teaser Tuesday AND a Friday 56). I may have even audibly squealed when the shop got a little shoutout early in her latest offering -- Edie Browne's Cottage by the Sea.

After a life-altering turn of events, Edie takes refuge in my beloved St Aidan to stay with her Aunt Jo. She herself has taken refuge in the confines of the cottage she moved into with her husband just weeks before he passed. She rarely leaves the cottage -- ordering the vast majority of everything to be delivered. (Been there. Done that.) Edie and Josie need each other -- and St Aidan itself -- to move on and heal. Their journeys are hilarious and heartbreaking and, through it all, more than a little cathartic. I know all about devastating and unexpected loss and how hard it is to move on like Aunt Jo, and I know way too much about Edie's angst.

20+ years ago I became the not-so-proud owner of a Traumatic Brain Injury. I remember all too well relearning how to walk; how to do basic things most take for granted; how to merge multiple noises together to make a "normal" sound. Do you have any idea how many different noises there are when a door is opened and closed? I don't recall the exact count, but I spent a couple of hours driving my family crazy by opening and closing the door repeatedly to piece it all together. I get Edie. I get her frustration at being told she looks well when she and I are both well aware that you can't really see most brain injuries without medical equipment. I know how bothersome it is to not be able to drive  (something I will probably never do again). It's been 20+ years and I still know how heartbreaking it is to not be who you were ... and to not know if you ever will be again.

*Not A Real Spoiler Alert*

It gets easier.

For myself, and for Edie.

Her story is far more enjoyable to read than mine probably would be, but there are some similarities. For both of us, much of the "easier" came from good friends and family, a really great kid, and a pretty darn spectacular, stubborn and incredibly patient man. I'll spare you the details about mine, but I definitely urge you to read all about Edie's.

Friday 56 (today is from page 256ish from the advanced pdf received by the author) is hosted at Freda's Voice & Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.