Book Review: Still Time by Maria Hoagland

Title: Still Time
Author:  Maria Hoagland
Enjoyment Rating: ***
Source: Digital Copy
Content Alert: A clean read

Alyssa's life seems full enough with her four growing children, her part-time gig teaching aerobics, and everything else that comes with being a full-time stay-at-home Mormon mom in her forties. When the family travels from Texas to Idaho for her father-in-law's funeral, they are shocked to see her mother-in-law struggling with Alzheimer's. Alyssa and her husband uproot their family to care for her, and Still Time centers on the everyday events that result from that decision.

The fact that Hoagland chooses to write about the mundane events in a regular life is the double-edged sword of Still Time. Hoagland tackles the internal dialogue that runs through the minds of SAHMs, and Alyssa seems to represent the mindset of the typical Mormon mom. I could identify with her, but at times I didn't want her to represent me, if that makes any sense. The book was at its strongest when it slipped into the voice of Alyssa's mother-in-law. At first these POV shifts confused me, but eventually, they became my favorite part of the novel. I enjoyed seeing her try to hold on to the things she could remember, and the points of connection she might have with Alyssa if she were only well enough to do so.