Close Enough To Perfect by Christine Noyes is a heartrending memoir where the author speaks about the death of her husband Al, their time together, and her life after his death, her Catholic upbringing, and her relationship with her family. The author also shares her early life in the memoir and her unawareness of her mother being unwell and diagnosed with manic depression, now known as bipolar disorder. The death of her husband Al shattered her and she speaks about how she learned to embrace her grief and celebrate it.

The memoir captures the grit and determination of the human spirit to survive and the author speaks about how her mother taught her to survive; not to dwell, not to envy, but to move ahead, and live life on her terms. She also speaks about the wonderful times she shared with her husband which included hunting, traveling, motorcycling, spending time with family and friends, and running a retail business. The author is honest and straightforward when it comes to sharing her life and the memoir not only captures the author's life before and after marriage but also gives good insights about the mental problems faced by her mother.

Close Enough To Perfect by Christine Noyes is a story of loss, pain, grief, redemption, and healing, how the human spirit is equipped to overcome any obstacles if given a chance. The memoir also speaks about why it is important to seed, water, nurture, and harvest the resilience that can be cultivated. The topic has been well handled and it is a good book to gift elders so that their attitude towards life always remains positive, happy, and optimistic.

Your life can turn upside down in an instant. This happens to Christine Noyes when Al, her husband of twenty-eight years, dies suddenly. Close Enough to Perfect is a celebration of Al’s life with Christine. Al and Christine are passionate entrepreneurs who owned a sporting goods store. In Christine’s own words, other than a few occasions, she and Al did everything together. Al’s death came as a severe blow to Christine and she wrote a memoir to process her grief. Close Enough to Perfect is a story of love, family, grief, and resilience. It is a testimony to solidarity in trying times. As Christine reflects on their life, she finds opportunities to grow as a human being. Their life story is one of adventure, joy, and belonging.

When Christine and Al boarded the flight to Las Vegas for a trade show, it was business as usual, except for one tragic turn. In Close Enough to Perfect, Christine Noyes reflects on her life’s journey and finds much to celebrate. As I read through the memoir, I was struck by the sense of adventure and creativity that was part of Christine and Al’s lives. Their different upbringings, Christine’s memories of her mother, her strong bond with her siblings – all these gave a glimpse of the complexities of life. The important lesson was that grief affects everyone differently. Christine declares that she found new ways to grow and appreciate life after Al’s passing. At the same time, she continues to keep his memories alive.