Review - Bernice Runs Away by Talya Tate Boerner
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I found myself in the mood for a quick, light read, and the cover of Bernice Runs Away made me think it would fit the bill. I was in for a surprise!
I was drawn to this book because I have often threatened to run away to Bermuda, mostly because I tend to get painfully bored when I don’t feel like I have productive things to do. Also because I have four children, and sometimes that is a lot.
Bernice Runs Away really took me by surprise. Bernice is 81 years old, a widow, the mother of one living child, and the grandmother of one adult granddaughter. She lives alone. She’s starting to forget things.
Her daughter wants her to move to Atlanta to live in her new carriage house, but Bernice has other ideas. Thanks to a gifted copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, Bernice starts to realize that she needs to do what sparks joy in her life. So, she resolves to run away.
Ultimately, she returns to a favorite vacation spot from her youth, where she first fell in love, where she has many happy memories with her parents and her husband and kids. She trusts only one close friend with her plan, and she goes.
The book details her escape from the humdrum of her life and how it changes her and her family. Ultimately, Bernice finds herself at Lake Norfolk.
I ended up loving this book! It wasn’t as light and quick as I expected going in, but it was heartfelt and real. It was honest and redemptive.
Bernice Runs Away comes out tomorrow (October 1, 2022)!
