I honestly don’t know to whom I would recommend "The Book of Dahlia" by Elisa Albert. It is not an uplifting book by any stretch of the imagination. It is about a 29 year-old woman, dying of cancer and facing her mortality.

While living in a house owned by her wealthy father, Dahlia Finger is ostensibly studying for the GRE. In truth, Dahlia is a young woman who is lethargically wasting her life. She spends her days doing almost nothing but hanging around her house, taking showers, watching cable moves, and smoking pot. Awful headaches, exhaustion and bloating are not atypical for her. Just the onset of her period, she thinks. When a Grand Mal seizure ends her blissful ignorance, Dahlia Finger is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. She now is faced with the end of her life and wonders if hers is a life worth mourning.

Although she is newly diagnosed with cancer, Dahlia does not suddenly become a noble and brave person. She is in turn angry, sad and as terrified as most of us would be. She thinks about what in her life might have caused this to happen. Was she somehow to blame? Did her lifestyle cause the cancer? The author interweaves her past life with the present as she deals with radiation, chemo, and a support group.

Four characters dominate the book— Dahlia, Margalit, her overbearing mother, Rabbi Dan, her loathsome older brother, and Bruce, her indulgent father. The Fingers are not a "Brady Bunch" family. Bruce and the tempestuous Margalit met in Israel and lived on a kibbutz during their early marriage. Bruce is an American citizen so they returned to the United States to enable him to provide a better living for his family. Margalit finally "imploded the family" and returned to Israel, eventually divorcing her husband. Most of the family dysfunction stemmed from this. Dahlia’s formerly doting brother turned into the brother from hell. To relieve his pain Dahlia’s father drowned his sorrows in wine in a box. Dahlia became an antisocial bully in school and eventually grew into a young woman, who lacked any ambition or direction in her life.

When cancer strikes their daughter, Dahlia’s parents are reunited by disease. They chauffeur her on rounds of chemo, radiation and support group therapy. Her mother exhorts her with "What Is Your Battle Plan?" while her father insists on optimism when there is none to be had. Listening to the doctor’s diagnosis he writes, "Not worst possible place, not necessarily worst possible tumor, he jotted in his notebooks while the head of Neurology went on to explain that it actually was the ‘worst possible’ tumor." Her unfeeling brother tells his parents to, "Keep him informed."

During her battle Dahlia carries a rather condescending self-help book for cancer victims entitled "It’s Up to You: Your Cancer To-do List". She frequently addresses the author, "Gene", by name as she narrates her struggle. Each chapter title is a supposed chapter from this book. In the chapter, Choose Life, "Gene" says, "Decide that you are going to overcome this illness. Decide that you are going to live a long and happy life. It’s just that simple." Dahlia’s response is "F____ you, Gene," which is the total extent of that chapter.

Elisa Albert has written a memorable book that intertwines humor, profanity and sorrow into an unflinching look at terminal illness. Book discussion groups might consider this powerful book for their groups.

:: Go to Library Home ::

Scottsbluff Public Library :: 1809 Third Avenue :: Scottsbluff, NE 69361 :: 308-630-6250