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Reviewed by Donna Stevenson for Readers' Favorite
This is a story of belonging as lifelong friendships continue to mature. In The Gray New Deal by Miriam Kuznets, Barry owns West House, where he and his family reunite. Doris, Ellen, Jane, Pearl, Tomas, Vihaan, and Barry have been friends since college, and now, in their later years, they live together in a cooperative arrangement. Each of them returns to the group from a different past, with different experiences. Some were involved in traditional relationships, like Ellen and Tomas, who are still married. Some have been involved in non-traditional relationships. Whatever these experiences and relationships, all of them are happy to be together again, where financial and physical ability challenges are reduced, and love and belonging thrive.
In The Gray New Deal, Miriam Kuznets uses humor and angst to share life stories about the members of this eclectic group. Each chapter is written like a short story – standalone when describing the characters – yet effectively integrated into the overall story. Although each character is being downsized through age, budgets, and space, they still open their hearts and their home to others. I enjoyed many scenes and stories in this book, but my favorite scene is when Ruby, initially not accepted by all of them, is finally voted into their world. They find joy in dancing together, and their world expands just a little bit. The author excels at describing what it means to be friends and why and how we should take care of one another, no matter how small our world becomes.
