𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗱, 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. She was in a care home and was suffering. She had lost much of her physical vitality and was struggling to understand her purpose in the world. Some questions, once heard, never leave you. It was on my mind when I started planning Last Worst Hopes.

I heard remarks like that from other older folks, and found language for this while researching human development for this novel. Old age, I discovered, brings with it a struggle against despair. 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧. What an awful thing. But I realized it was true. That was what my grandma was experiencing. That was what she was fighting. Not that we must lose that struggle, for we can be happy, but questions of meaning and purpose are never stronger than when the end is near, and capability degrades.

And so I made the old folks’ home—the House on the Hill—the center of my story. Mick has lost some of his strength, and more of his purpose and memory. But when he and his friends see the world falling apart around them, they find a new reason to go on. And somewhere in this battle against despair, they must find its only real answer: hope.

The audio excerpt is of a scene where Mick and his friends Louis and Doog are getting ready to recover a cache of weapons that Mick stashed in the ruined city at the base of the hill. Louis has balance issues, and has fallen down, and Mick may have forgotten where he left the swords. Enjoy the narration of Craig A. Hart, who brings these characters to life.

The Book Commentary gave Last Worst Hopes a 5-star review and said, “This is a tale of hope in the face of imminent annihilation, and while the characters experience despair, they are propelled — hopefully —toward a future they are determined to shape. It is a work of sheer brilliance — robust, deft, and balanced.” If you are interested in finding out what Mick and his friends learn about despair and hope, please check out my book.

Oh, and my grandma was a delight and joy to her last day.