by Emily Chenoweth
Forty-something Helen Hansen returns home from a
brisk winter run, a nagging headache trailing her every move. Thinking she
needs eye glasses, she makes a mental note to make an appointment for an exam
and then … everything goes black. Several days later, Helen wakes in the
hospital with her husband, Elliott, leaning over her bed. From the look on his
face, she knows that the reason for her being here is not a simple one and from
that point on, her life is forever changed.
Helen has an inoperable brain tumor. The doctors have
told Elliott that the chemo is simply buying time but he can’t bear to tell
Helen, an eternal optimist, that she won’t be healed. So as a secret ‘last hurrah’ Elliott plans a
week-long anniversary party at to a Northern New Hampshire resort where they
vacation with their 19 year-old daughter, Abby and a lifetime of Helen and
Elliott’s friends. In a single week Helen, Elliott and Abby struggle to come to
terms with their individual and collective futures while they confront issues
from their past.
Chenoweth expertly crafts a
life story that is viewed through a window of a single week. It is a story that
is both a beginning and also a gentle farewell. As we see Helen slowly slip
away, we see Abby transform into a person of her own and a tribute to her
mother’s legacy.
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