Our Souls at Night

This simply written, wise, often humorous and deeply touching book was a delight to read. In an undemanding way, it explores timeless themes of age, infidelity, small town life, courage, compromise,duty and responsibility, the after-effects of tragedy and of choices made earlier in life. The film on Netflx is a superb and quietly moving adaptation of it, starring the two exceptional actors, Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, with an excellent supporting cast. I highly recommend both book and film.

Some people say nothing happens in his books.Can you remember when our Soaps were built on ordinary people going about their lives ?Now , every other character is an abuser , a thief , a murderer, is that your average street ? Hopefully not , that is not reality , and that is what shines from Haruf's books .I have read and enjoyed every one of them.I think he is vastly underrated , and should be part of the National Curriculum, alongside JD Salinger , Harper Lee and Maya Angelou .

I read this in two nights I couldn't put it down. It was a beautiful story about to people, Addie and Louis, both in their seventies. It tells the story of loneliness, friendship and understanding.I found the layout of the book a little difficult at first but soon got into the story and the characters just danced off the page with their lives. It felt as if you were sitting in their home watching as they went about their daily routine.Lovely story, sad to think it was the author's last book.

In small town Colorado, two elderly neighbours, Addie and Louis, at Addie’s suggestion start spending their nights together. Apart from the truly unfortunate title (try saying it fast aloud), I have nothing but praise for this little novel that I devoured in two days. Simple, tender, heartbreaking exploration of the meaning of morality. Highly recommended.

Addie and Louis are both neighbours and long since widowers. One day Addie, out of loneliness and desire for human contact, asks Louis if he would agree to sleep with her at night. Not sex, just sleeping in the same bed as it is the thing she misses most about having a partner and she is struggling to sleep. Louis agrees and slowly they build a strange but comforting little routine and it begins to grow. When Addie's son and wife have troubles, she agrees to look after her grandson for a while and Addie and Louis enjoy this new little family that they have stumbled happily into. But not everyone is happy about their friendship.This is very short read, 179 pages, but it is a completely moving and beautiful book. Brave and sad. By the end, tears were streaming down my face and I was completely heartbroken by the entire book; the story, the characters, the writing. I cannot recommend it highly enough.