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Ten Days
In a riveting debut novel infused with uncommon insight, Janet Gilsdorf draws readers into an unforgettable story of love, heartache, family, and renewal.
After six years of marriage, Anna and Jake Campbell have settled into a routine of daily responsibility and familiar comforts. The demands of raising two small children—three-year-old Chris and baby Eddie—take a toll, especially combined with Jake’s schedule as an orthopedic surgeon. But together, cautious Anna and calm, optimistic Jake negotiate, sometimes gracefully, sometimes not so much, every obstacle that comes their way. Until the night Eddie gets sick.
When Anna phones Jake at work to seek advice, he reassures her that Eddie has just caught her cold. But with the morning light comes the terrible realization that her baby is seriously ill. Guilt-ridden, deeply angry, and shell-shocked, Anna spends bottomless hours alone in the ICU where Eddie teeters on between life and death. In the days that follow Eddie’s diagnosis, grief gives way to recrimination and accusations. Anna, focused only on her younger son, ignores Chris’s need for attention, while Jake is drawn to an old temptation. And the six steady years Anna and Jake have spent together—years of give and take, hope and hardship, inside jokes and shared memories—seem suddenly fragile and fleeting.
Ten Days is a beautifully written and compelling story of the simple, momentary choices that come to shape our lives, of love tested to the limit, and of the myriad small triumphs that can become our greatest joys.
After six years of marriage, Anna and Jake Campbell have settled into a routine of daily responsibility and familiar comforts. The demands of raising two small children—three-year-old Chris and baby Eddie—take a toll, especially combined with Jake’s schedule as an orthopedic surgeon. But together, cautious Anna and calm, optimistic Jake negotiate, sometimes gracefully, sometimes not so much, every obstacle that comes their way. Until the night Eddie gets sick.
When Anna phones Jake at work to seek advice, he reassures her that Eddie has just caught her cold. But with the morning light comes the terrible realization that her baby is seriously ill. Guilt-ridden, deeply angry, and shell-shocked, Anna spends bottomless hours alone in the ICU where Eddie teeters on between life and death. In the days that follow Eddie’s diagnosis, grief gives way to recrimination and accusations. Anna, focused only on her younger son, ignores Chris’s need for attention, while Jake is drawn to an old temptation. And the six steady years Anna and Jake have spent together—years of give and take, hope and hardship, inside jokes and shared memories—seem suddenly fragile and fleeting.
Ten Days is a beautifully written and compelling story of the simple, momentary choices that come to shape our lives, of love tested to the limit, and of the myriad small triumphs that can become our greatest joys.
295 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
September 22, 2012
It’s confirmed. I like writing that is spare, concise but still full of meaning and warmth. Big, long, flowery sentences don’t necessarily equal meaning and warmth (the exception is Emily Perkins’ masterpiece, The Forrests). When I was in high school I had a fabulous English teacher who would rap us over the knuckles (not literally) when she saw us reaching for the thesaurus – “Just use your own words,” she’d say, “I don’t want a fruit salad.” Can you see where this review is heading?
Ten Days by Janet Gilsdorf is the story of Anna and Jake, married for six years with a three-year-old, Chris, and baby Eddie. Anna is a teacher and Jake an orthopedic surgeon – their life is full of the ordinary routine (and daily grind) that goes with raising kids, running a household and holding down a job. Then one night, Eddie gets sick.
When Anna phones Jake at work to seek advice, he reassures her that Eddie has just caught her cold. But with the morning light comes the terrible realisation that Eddie is seriously ill (meningitis). Guilt-ridden and shell-shocked, Anna doesn’t leave Eddie’s bedside in the ICU where he teeters between life and death. In the days that follow Eddie’s diagnosis, grief gives way to recrimination and accusations.
There are two sub-plots within the story – the ‘outbreak’ of meningitis in the family daycare home where Eddie and Chris are cared for and Jake’s temptation to reignite an old affair. Without dwelling on either of these sub-plots, the first fitted well with the story and added an interesting dimension for action to take place outside of the hospital. However the second, Jake’s ‘affair’, was unnecessary.
It’s obviously subjective but I really didn’t enjoy Gilsdorf’s overly descriptive writing style. It seemed over-worked and I like more ‘space’ around my words. For example -
“His face looked dispassionate, its profile stolid against the cloudless sky. His clean-shaven jaw, the knob on his nose from a hockey mishap, his shaggy eyebrows. These features – his entire body – were as familiar to her as breathing. Yet who was he? Why could he let Chris get lost? At this moment he was a stranger. At his core he was unknowable to her.”
My other gripe was with the character of Jake. Liking a character is not a pre-requisite of mine but I do need to believe the character. Unfortunately, Jake’s actions and attitude were totally unbelievable. He’s established as a calm, reasonable guy who, due to the nature of his work, handles a crisis well. BUT he is also a parent, with his baby clinging to life. His attitude toward Anna and Chris, and his ‘straying’ with an ex really seemed outside of what I would expect.
See my full review here: http://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.wor...
Ten Days by Janet Gilsdorf is the story of Anna and Jake, married for six years with a three-year-old, Chris, and baby Eddie. Anna is a teacher and Jake an orthopedic surgeon – their life is full of the ordinary routine (and daily grind) that goes with raising kids, running a household and holding down a job. Then one night, Eddie gets sick.
When Anna phones Jake at work to seek advice, he reassures her that Eddie has just caught her cold. But with the morning light comes the terrible realisation that Eddie is seriously ill (meningitis). Guilt-ridden and shell-shocked, Anna doesn’t leave Eddie’s bedside in the ICU where he teeters between life and death. In the days that follow Eddie’s diagnosis, grief gives way to recrimination and accusations.
There are two sub-plots within the story – the ‘outbreak’ of meningitis in the family daycare home where Eddie and Chris are cared for and Jake’s temptation to reignite an old affair. Without dwelling on either of these sub-plots, the first fitted well with the story and added an interesting dimension for action to take place outside of the hospital. However the second, Jake’s ‘affair’, was unnecessary.
It’s obviously subjective but I really didn’t enjoy Gilsdorf’s overly descriptive writing style. It seemed over-worked and I like more ‘space’ around my words. For example -
“His face looked dispassionate, its profile stolid against the cloudless sky. His clean-shaven jaw, the knob on his nose from a hockey mishap, his shaggy eyebrows. These features – his entire body – were as familiar to her as breathing. Yet who was he? Why could he let Chris get lost? At this moment he was a stranger. At his core he was unknowable to her.”
My other gripe was with the character of Jake. Liking a character is not a pre-requisite of mine but I do need to believe the character. Unfortunately, Jake’s actions and attitude were totally unbelievable. He’s established as a calm, reasonable guy who, due to the nature of his work, handles a crisis well. BUT he is also a parent, with his baby clinging to life. His attitude toward Anna and Chris, and his ‘straying’ with an ex really seemed outside of what I would expect.
See my full review here: http://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.wor...
October 1, 2015
Anna is meticulous, taking in every detail. Jake, despite being a doctor, was not. His easygoing manner is a refreshing balance to help raise their two small boys. They live a happy life. Content. Until their lives are turned upside down. How could it happen? She blames herself.
~ a gut wrenching story that, as a parent and grandmother, brought me to tears and brings life into perspective.
~ a gut wrenching story that, as a parent and grandmother, brought me to tears and brings life into perspective.
January 5, 2013
Today's review is on Ten Days by Janet Gilsdorf
Ten Days is one of those books that touched touched me in such a way that I had to wait a few days before writing my review. Perhaps it's because I have two children that are the same ages as the characters, or perhaps because my husband is a doctor, or maybe because my 14 year-old is the "sickly" child, or more likely because of all of those things. And as such, I have gone through some of the same challenges, thought the same thoughts, done those same things, and that is why this story resonates so strongly for me. At any rate, Ten Days is a book that will remain on my bookshelf for years to come.
Told mostly from the point of view of both Jake and Anna Campbell, Ten Days chronicles their struggle when six-month-old Eddie is stricken with meningitis.
While Anna's concern and guilt keeps her at the hospital where Eddie fights to survive, her older son Chris regresses and begins to act out, and when the stress and pressure seems to much, Jake begins to question his relationship with her as well as their marriage.
The medical terminology and treatment are spot on and lend that realistic feel to the story, as well as the actions and reactions of the characters.
Ten Days, simply put, was real to me, and as a debut book, Ten Days is amazing. I cannot wait to see what Gilsdorf comes up with next.
4 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
Ten Days is one of those books that touched touched me in such a way that I had to wait a few days before writing my review. Perhaps it's because I have two children that are the same ages as the characters, or perhaps because my husband is a doctor, or maybe because my 14 year-old is the "sickly" child, or more likely because of all of those things. And as such, I have gone through some of the same challenges, thought the same thoughts, done those same things, and that is why this story resonates so strongly for me. At any rate, Ten Days is a book that will remain on my bookshelf for years to come.
Told mostly from the point of view of both Jake and Anna Campbell, Ten Days chronicles their struggle when six-month-old Eddie is stricken with meningitis.
While Anna's concern and guilt keeps her at the hospital where Eddie fights to survive, her older son Chris regresses and begins to act out, and when the stress and pressure seems to much, Jake begins to question his relationship with her as well as their marriage.
The medical terminology and treatment are spot on and lend that realistic feel to the story, as well as the actions and reactions of the characters.
Ten Days, simply put, was real to me, and as a debut book, Ten Days is amazing. I cannot wait to see what Gilsdorf comes up with next.
4 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
March 19, 2013
I started out thinking I would really like this book. The author's knowledge as a doctor enhances the medical descriptions. Her descriptions and writing style are enjoyable and are filled with imagery. However, the ten days felt like 10 agonizing long years with characters that I could not like, nor even sympathize with. The father/husband is an insensitive jerk. There was not a single redeeming quality in this man. The mom was on her own, and I felt for her because she certainly lacked the support system that was needed. If your boss goes and gives you time with your family, for cripes sake, take it and go comfort your wife and STOP being condescending and irritated with her. Have to say my irritation with the characters extended to the 3 1/2 year old who did nothing to endear himself to the reader. He exhausted me. I am a lover of epilogues. This book ended on a down note and then jumped ahead 14 1/2 years! I couldn't reconcile the past "10 days" with who the characters had become or not become in the next 14 years. If you are looking for a book that takes you away and allows you to immerse yourself into another world, keep looking as you don't want to be drawn into this family's life.
April 14, 2015
This was an interesting character study of parents under stress, but I have no idea why anyone would write this novel - to scare the snot out of every parent or those with small children/grands ? Mission accomplished.
July 25, 2013
Very readable, well written, and attention getting. I appreciated the medical expertise. I highly recommend it!
November 5, 2015
Good book..
The book was a very good easy read .... Loved the characters and the way they interacted was very real.
The book was a very good easy read .... Loved the characters and the way they interacted was very real.
May 18, 2016
A book about the effects on a family when a baby nearly dies of meningitis.
April 16, 2020
I found this book to be slow crawling with a lot of pointless "filler" information. I would go through small waves of being really interested in what was going to happen next and then being so disappointed by the anticlimactic storyline. It is readable and entertaining enough, but it is a very 'meh' story that has absolutely no twists or turns or unexpected events.
SPOILER: All bad things that happen, you completely see coming. Also, in a weird way the title gives away any surprise you thought there might be. I say this because "Ten Days" is the amount of time the plotline goes for. As soon as you realize that, you know that nothing better or worse it going to happen. SERIOUS SPOILER: The entire plot is that her infant gets pneumonia and ends up in the hospital for..... you guessed it... TEN DAYS. That right there tells you that he is not going to die, which is not a bad thing, obviously, but in regards to reading books, knowing how the story WON'T end makes a huge difference. The title also tells you that he is not going to miraculously get better sooner than expected. Based on what you might already know and what the book explains, meningitis can cause all kind of disabilities, especially at such a young age and catching the infection a little later in it's stages, so you can pretty much assume that since he will be in the hospital for a normal, rather expected amount of time, he will suffer from some or all of those defects... which in the end, we find out that he does have a hearing disability. And that's pretty much it. The story before he got sick is pretty much pointless... I didn't see any relevance to the storyline. I think that maybe the author was trying to set a platform by explaining the mother was an over-worrier and that the father was mildly unhappy because he felt unappreciated? But regardless, I think it's completely ridiculous if we are supposed to in anyway think that the husband is, in any way, justified in almost cheating... This man deals with high amounts of stress every single day at his job (since he is a doctor) and he has the normal stresses of having children and being married and what not. I think it is 3 or so days after his son is checked in to the hospital that he starts to express disgust with his wife for looking so tired and not showering since she chose to not leave the hospital. He often repeats something to the effect of "she is not the woman I married," and is this feeling mixed with the worry about his son that leads him to meet an old girlfriend at a hotel... because of ONE really hard week? Are you kidding me? I had no positive emotion towards this man while reading this book. His chapters just sounded so ridiculous and rushed.
SPOILER: All bad things that happen, you completely see coming. Also, in a weird way the title gives away any surprise you thought there might be. I say this because "Ten Days" is the amount of time the plotline goes for. As soon as you realize that, you know that nothing better or worse it going to happen. SERIOUS SPOILER: The entire plot is that her infant gets pneumonia and ends up in the hospital for..... you guessed it... TEN DAYS. That right there tells you that he is not going to die, which is not a bad thing, obviously, but in regards to reading books, knowing how the story WON'T end makes a huge difference. The title also tells you that he is not going to miraculously get better sooner than expected. Based on what you might already know and what the book explains, meningitis can cause all kind of disabilities, especially at such a young age and catching the infection a little later in it's stages, so you can pretty much assume that since he will be in the hospital for a normal, rather expected amount of time, he will suffer from some or all of those defects... which in the end, we find out that he does have a hearing disability. And that's pretty much it. The story before he got sick is pretty much pointless... I didn't see any relevance to the storyline. I think that maybe the author was trying to set a platform by explaining the mother was an over-worrier and that the father was mildly unhappy because he felt unappreciated? But regardless, I think it's completely ridiculous if we are supposed to in anyway think that the husband is, in any way, justified in almost cheating... This man deals with high amounts of stress every single day at his job (since he is a doctor) and he has the normal stresses of having children and being married and what not. I think it is 3 or so days after his son is checked in to the hospital that he starts to express disgust with his wife for looking so tired and not showering since she chose to not leave the hospital. He often repeats something to the effect of "she is not the woman I married," and is this feeling mixed with the worry about his son that leads him to meet an old girlfriend at a hotel... because of ONE really hard week? Are you kidding me? I had no positive emotion towards this man while reading this book. His chapters just sounded so ridiculous and rushed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2018
I just couldn't like the characters. I know they were under stress, but even in the beginning, when they weren't, I didn't find them likable. I also felt the daycare worker was really uninformed. I would like to think that if you are running a home daycare, you'd know a lot more about the children's health and about health department codes than this woman did.
July 24, 2018
I can't remember why I read this book; just picked it up somewhere. At first I was going to quit reading, as I was exasperated by the behavior of the mother (both before and after her youngest child becomes ill). But after sticking with it, I'm glad I finished because the ending is a good one (I mean good as in "satisfying," not as in "happy" since I am not giving away any spoilers!).
September 16, 2018
This was not an easy read to me. In fact, was really depressing. A critically ill infant, in ICU; chapters rotate between the mom, dad and the in-home day care provider. Deep and repetitive delving into their thoughts and feelings as they go through these days of the infant’s illness. Insightful as to what it would be like to go through this experience but still not really enjoyable reading.
March 19, 2019
I was so disappointed in this book. The reason I give it two stars is because I saw the potential of the storyline. The writing was awful... I had to make myself pick it up just so I could find out what happened at the end.
March 18, 2020
What a suspenseful story...I even brought the book to work for lunch hour then tried to get a couple more pages in at the end of the day in my car! Gilsdorf has you engaged with the characters and the plot from the very first chapter and doesn't let you loose til the story is over.
May 21, 2017
Such a compelling story - I really couldn't put it down! Hard to believe that this is a debut novel by a physician - quite amazing!
April 18, 2019
Great book
March 9, 2020
This was a hard one to put down. A very scary time for parents and a true test of love.
Read
October 6, 2020Nice story, but way too much detail for me. Could have been told in a lot less time
August 30, 2021
Meh. Character development was poor. No growth happened by anyone.
November 4, 2021
Great book =)
November 29, 2021
ugh
This was a slog. None of the characters were likeable and the only one I felt any empathy for was the six month old baby.
This was a slog. None of the characters were likeable and the only one I felt any empathy for was the six month old baby.
December 11, 2021
The plot isn't bad but none of the characters are very likable.
September 23, 2012
My fiance always teases me that if there is what he calls a depressing books or movie, that I will surely flock to it and give it a five star rating. I wouldn't call my tastes "depressing" per se, but I do enjoy books (and movies) that tackle difficult subjects in a realistic picture -- one that doesn't always quite end with a happily ever after.
That said, I expected for TEN DAYS to be right up my alley. I mean, the cover reminded me of something that might feel close to a Jodi Picoult perhaps, so I was excited to give this one a shot on NetGalley. And when I saw that it was about a couple dealing with their own relationship while struggling with a life-or-death crisis with one of their children, I expected nothing less than a painfully "real" story that took the toughest topics and made them feel relateable and realistic to us readers.
Well -- I was partially right.
TEN DAYS is the story of Dr. Jake (a surgeon) and his wife Anna. The couple has two children -- a young toddler (Chris) and his six month old baby brother (Eddie). One night, Anna notices that Eddie is restless in his crib after refusing to eat. She calls up her husband at work who assures her that she must be overacting -- it's probably just a little cold and he will be fine in the morning. So, Anna goes back to bed and wakes after a restful sleep to find Eddie cold and rigid in his crib.
She rushes him to the hospital and gets a frightening diagnosis -- one that leaves her and Jake wondering if this baby -- and this family -- will even survive.
Told in alternating third person perspectives between Dr. Jake, Anna, and the nanny (who fears that Jake's ailment may shut down her work and her livelihood), TEN DAYS reflects on the relationship the fight for survival, and the overall hardships that these characters endure -- starting with that one, horrible, tragic night.
The premise here was definitely interesting -- and I admit, I love reading stories about couples trying to balance the demands of marriage with those of personal tragedy. It was nice to see the altering perspectives, although it may have felt more personal to take a first person perspective -- to let the readers feel a bit more connected to the stories.
I can't deny that I found the nanny's story particularly compelling, although it just seemed to fall apart at some point, making me wonder why it was even included. And although the characters felt realistic, dealing with tragedy in their own ways, I admit that they read as highly unlikeable, from Dr. Jake's sort-of fling (anticlimatic, indeed!) to Anna's stubbornness to the nanny's almost single-handed fixation on whether or not she would get shut down by the health department.
The epilogue really threw me off -- I wasn't expecting to see things fast foward this far into the future at all. But it was nice to see how things ended, even if it felt things may have tied up a bit too nicely by the last page.
If you like hard topics and real struggles, give TEN DAYS a chance. And if you like "depressing" literature -- give this one a chance. But be warned -- as the queen of "depressing" lit, even I found it to be a bit drawn out and a bit too bleak for my preferences....
That said, I expected for TEN DAYS to be right up my alley. I mean, the cover reminded me of something that might feel close to a Jodi Picoult perhaps, so I was excited to give this one a shot on NetGalley. And when I saw that it was about a couple dealing with their own relationship while struggling with a life-or-death crisis with one of their children, I expected nothing less than a painfully "real" story that took the toughest topics and made them feel relateable and realistic to us readers.
Well -- I was partially right.
TEN DAYS is the story of Dr. Jake (a surgeon) and his wife Anna. The couple has two children -- a young toddler (Chris) and his six month old baby brother (Eddie). One night, Anna notices that Eddie is restless in his crib after refusing to eat. She calls up her husband at work who assures her that she must be overacting -- it's probably just a little cold and he will be fine in the morning. So, Anna goes back to bed and wakes after a restful sleep to find Eddie cold and rigid in his crib.
She rushes him to the hospital and gets a frightening diagnosis -- one that leaves her and Jake wondering if this baby -- and this family -- will even survive.
Told in alternating third person perspectives between Dr. Jake, Anna, and the nanny (who fears that Jake's ailment may shut down her work and her livelihood), TEN DAYS reflects on the relationship the fight for survival, and the overall hardships that these characters endure -- starting with that one, horrible, tragic night.
The premise here was definitely interesting -- and I admit, I love reading stories about couples trying to balance the demands of marriage with those of personal tragedy. It was nice to see the altering perspectives, although it may have felt more personal to take a first person perspective -- to let the readers feel a bit more connected to the stories.
I can't deny that I found the nanny's story particularly compelling, although it just seemed to fall apart at some point, making me wonder why it was even included. And although the characters felt realistic, dealing with tragedy in their own ways, I admit that they read as highly unlikeable, from Dr. Jake's sort-of fling (anticlimatic, indeed!) to Anna's stubbornness to the nanny's almost single-handed fixation on whether or not she would get shut down by the health department.
The epilogue really threw me off -- I wasn't expecting to see things fast foward this far into the future at all. But it was nice to see how things ended, even if it felt things may have tied up a bit too nicely by the last page.
If you like hard topics and real struggles, give TEN DAYS a chance. And if you like "depressing" literature -- give this one a chance. But be warned -- as the queen of "depressing" lit, even I found it to be a bit drawn out and a bit too bleak for my preferences....
October 10, 2012
Ten Days is an emotionally charged story of marriage, parenthood and love in the face of a devastating illness. When Anna and Jake Campbell's infant son falls gravely ill, the strain breeds resentment, anger and blame. During their ten day vigil, as Eddie hovers between life and death, the survival of not only their son, but of their family, is at risk.
Told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Anna, Jake and Rose Marie, this character driven novel has a fairly simple plot that revolves around Eddie's fight for life after contracting meningitis. As Eddie grows sicker, and the characters struggle with their fears, the tension builds and emotions run high.
Parents to Eddie (6 months) and Chris (3), Anna and Jake have been married for around six years. In the opening chapter we are given a general impression of the characters, and their relationship, which seems to be a little tense largely due to their personality conflicts. The two are of very different temperaments, Anna, a linguist, is cautious and reserved while Jake, an orthopedic surgeon, is easy going and playful. Minor irritation and resentment with one's partner isn't uncommon in any marriage but under the intense stress of Eddie's illness the hairline cracks become open fissures. I thought the author's portrayal of both Anna and Jake to be authentic, their reactions are as messy as I would expect from grieving parents whose differences are magnified in a crisis. There were times when I didn't like either of them very much but they had my sympathy and my understanding.
I thought the choice to include Rose Marie, the Campbell's childminder, as a primary narrator an unusual one. While her story resonated with me, as I was a family day care carer for several years and as such I understood her fears, I didn't feel her story was linked tightly enough with the Campbell family's. Essentially it seemed to me that while Rose Marie served as possible source of the contagion and Gilsdorf wrung some tension from that suggestion, essentially you could ignore Rose Marie's chapters entirely and lose nothing in terms of the emotions or story.
The conclusion of this novel is not what you might expect but one I appreciated as I think it is realistic and fits the narrative. Ten Days is a confronting portrait of a family in crisis and a compelling read. While I am happy to recommend it, if you have a snuffly child at home, especially a baby, be warned, you may not be able to sleep for days after reading this heart rending novel.
March 17, 2015
The premise was good. I liked the alternating POVs, although I am still baffled by the significance of the Rose Marie character, especially since she was one of the main POV characters. I wish my likes had been greater, but unfortunately, this is where they end.
Both Jake and Anna are melodramatic. Jake, by constantly thinking of himself, how his life could have been (Monica), and what he could/should have done differently the night his son became ill. I lost count of how many times he thought, 'if only I was home', 'if only I had asked the right questions', 'if only Anna had realized the seriousness', leaving me to believe that the book should have been titled, If Only.
Anna suffers from distorted thinking. Her thoughts are filtered. She takes facts, filters them through her mind and comes out of it with all of the negative aspects, the positive being discarded. She is an unlikable character from the onset. She is needy, over critical, and paranoid (she believes a man at the hospital wants her son to die so that his daughter can have his liver, she saw the wish on his face.)
Aside from the character's not being well-drawn or even likable, the writing took me out of the story too many times to find it enjoyable. For instance, on page 128 - a nurse asks Anna if she wants to see the visitor who is in the waiting room. Three paragraphs later, Anna replies. During those three paragraphs Anna internalization covers everything except the visitor, such as why her husband didn't come home the night their son became ill and how she was possibly able to sleep through the night, etc.,. It's basically an entire book of them beating themselves up (both taking blame and laying blame) over their son becoming ill.
The book starts off extremely slow. I felt the beginning chapters were included as filler to plump up an otherwise 'light' book. Too much talk about water heaters, the bridge and the woman who died when she went over it leading one to believe that the bridge would play a significant role in the book. The story is about ten days in the life of a family after their son becomes ill. It is painfully drawn out. There is so much internalization, most of a repeat of the last time we were given access to their thoughts.
I believed when the second child was struck with meningitis, it would pick up. No. When I know I'm going to give a review, I don't skip or skim, but I found reading every word excruciating. Many words without much being said and so little forward movement.
Both Jake and Anna are melodramatic. Jake, by constantly thinking of himself, how his life could have been (Monica), and what he could/should have done differently the night his son became ill. I lost count of how many times he thought, 'if only I was home', 'if only I had asked the right questions', 'if only Anna had realized the seriousness', leaving me to believe that the book should have been titled, If Only.
Anna suffers from distorted thinking. Her thoughts are filtered. She takes facts, filters them through her mind and comes out of it with all of the negative aspects, the positive being discarded. She is an unlikable character from the onset. She is needy, over critical, and paranoid (she believes a man at the hospital wants her son to die so that his daughter can have his liver, she saw the wish on his face.)
Aside from the character's not being well-drawn or even likable, the writing took me out of the story too many times to find it enjoyable. For instance, on page 128 - a nurse asks Anna if she wants to see the visitor who is in the waiting room. Three paragraphs later, Anna replies. During those three paragraphs Anna internalization covers everything except the visitor, such as why her husband didn't come home the night their son became ill and how she was possibly able to sleep through the night, etc.,. It's basically an entire book of them beating themselves up (both taking blame and laying blame) over their son becoming ill.
The book starts off extremely slow. I felt the beginning chapters were included as filler to plump up an otherwise 'light' book. Too much talk about water heaters, the bridge and the woman who died when she went over it leading one to believe that the bridge would play a significant role in the book. The story is about ten days in the life of a family after their son becomes ill. It is painfully drawn out. There is so much internalization, most of a repeat of the last time we were given access to their thoughts.
I believed when the second child was struck with meningitis, it would pick up. No. When I know I'm going to give a review, I don't skip or skim, but I found reading every word excruciating. Many words without much being said and so little forward movement.
October 24, 2012
Not sure what it was about the book that didn't make me want to rate it higher.
Definitely an interesting story. Anna and Jake's baby Eddie goes almost instantly from a happy baby to a very seriously ill baby with meningitis. The story takes us from the view of Anna, Jake and Rose Marie the caregiver of both boys. I'm not really sure if Rose Marie's view point really added anything to the story. I found her hard to like as she seemed much more worried about the welfare of her day care after having a second child in her care come down with meningitis than to the condition and welfare of the sick children.
In fact I didn't really like too many of the characters at all and I am not really sure why. Anna and Jake definitely did nothing negligent to contribute to eddies illness. With Eddie being sick Anna seemed to totally forget she had two sons not just one. I get that she was focused on eddies illness but she shut herself away from everything and everyone else. Jake seemed to be pretty emotionless about his son being so sick. His little non episode with Monica seemed a little out of place yet understandable. He had always wondered what went wrong with Monica, and picked that time to pursue the answers. Not sure if he should not have mentioned it to Anna being it was pretty uneventful and telling her really served no purpose but the way it played out he really did have to tell her or he would have had to lie, which would be worse.
I'm not sure of the purpose of the epilogue. It did show is that everything more or less turned out alright. At least we knew that Chris grew up to be something other than the whining child he is consistently being referred as. While he would have been a confused and troubled child after eddies hospitalization and his parents temporary abandonment of him, the descriptions of him make him seem like an unappealing and annoying child. But it just seemed like a chunk of the story just thrown in that didn't belong.
I think the author could have done more with this book, the story wasn't as gripping as it could have been. I think going consistently from one characters viewpoint to another didn't help the book. Excellent topic but missing some appeal.
Definitely an interesting story. Anna and Jake's baby Eddie goes almost instantly from a happy baby to a very seriously ill baby with meningitis. The story takes us from the view of Anna, Jake and Rose Marie the caregiver of both boys. I'm not really sure if Rose Marie's view point really added anything to the story. I found her hard to like as she seemed much more worried about the welfare of her day care after having a second child in her care come down with meningitis than to the condition and welfare of the sick children.
In fact I didn't really like too many of the characters at all and I am not really sure why. Anna and Jake definitely did nothing negligent to contribute to eddies illness. With Eddie being sick Anna seemed to totally forget she had two sons not just one. I get that she was focused on eddies illness but she shut herself away from everything and everyone else. Jake seemed to be pretty emotionless about his son being so sick. His little non episode with Monica seemed a little out of place yet understandable. He had always wondered what went wrong with Monica, and picked that time to pursue the answers. Not sure if he should not have mentioned it to Anna being it was pretty uneventful and telling her really served no purpose but the way it played out he really did have to tell her or he would have had to lie, which would be worse.
I'm not sure of the purpose of the epilogue. It did show is that everything more or less turned out alright. At least we knew that Chris grew up to be something other than the whining child he is consistently being referred as. While he would have been a confused and troubled child after eddies hospitalization and his parents temporary abandonment of him, the descriptions of him make him seem like an unappealing and annoying child. But it just seemed like a chunk of the story just thrown in that didn't belong.
I think the author could have done more with this book, the story wasn't as gripping as it could have been. I think going consistently from one characters viewpoint to another didn't help the book. Excellent topic but missing some appeal.
April 23, 2013
I decided with this book to round up my rating...I would probably give it 3.5 stars. "Ten Days" is an interesting story about a couple whose child becomes deathly ill. Written By Janet Gilsdorf who is a doctor (pediatrician) by trade and moonlights as a writer, it was surprisingly well-written and authentic - almost too authentic. There were a few moments when I was lost in the medical jargon.
Although I didn't particularly like the mother, Anna, in the story (she just had a personality too neurotic for me...I am more like the husband, Jake, and liked him better)I could relate to her. I too have had a child who was hospitalized for meningitis as a baby (fortunately for us, it was viral, she recovered in just a few days)and therefore,could sympathize with her reaction to the situation. But I also was sympathetic to Jake and the struggles he felt. I thought that Gilsdorf did an excellent job in showing how different personalities react to stressful situations.
One element of the story I didn't like as much and am not sure why it was included was about the woman who provided daycare for the children, including the baby who became ill. I kept expecting his illness to be related back to the daycare. Gilsdorf included funny little details that felt like smoking guns. I expected them to go off any minute and was baffled when they didn't. The daycare storyline almost felt like an afterthought - like the book wasn't quite long enough to call a novel and so Gilsdorf was asked to add more to get it to a good length. I just don't think it added anything to the story.
When I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about it, which indicates a compelling story. I was intrigued by the coping mechanisms of the parents and was anxious to see how everything would work out.
The book does not have a happy ending, per se, but it is satisfying and realistic. If I had any complaints about the ending, it is that I would have liked more detail in the parents relationship. Otherwise a good read and I would recommend it.
Although I didn't particularly like the mother, Anna, in the story (she just had a personality too neurotic for me...I am more like the husband, Jake, and liked him better)I could relate to her. I too have had a child who was hospitalized for meningitis as a baby (fortunately for us, it was viral, she recovered in just a few days)and therefore,could sympathize with her reaction to the situation. But I also was sympathetic to Jake and the struggles he felt. I thought that Gilsdorf did an excellent job in showing how different personalities react to stressful situations.
One element of the story I didn't like as much and am not sure why it was included was about the woman who provided daycare for the children, including the baby who became ill. I kept expecting his illness to be related back to the daycare. Gilsdorf included funny little details that felt like smoking guns. I expected them to go off any minute and was baffled when they didn't. The daycare storyline almost felt like an afterthought - like the book wasn't quite long enough to call a novel and so Gilsdorf was asked to add more to get it to a good length. I just don't think it added anything to the story.
When I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about it, which indicates a compelling story. I was intrigued by the coping mechanisms of the parents and was anxious to see how everything would work out.
The book does not have a happy ending, per se, but it is satisfying and realistic. If I had any complaints about the ending, it is that I would have liked more detail in the parents relationship. Otherwise a good read and I would recommend it.
October 21, 2012
I was intrigued with what I thought was going to be a story of a couple's struggle with the physical and emotional challenges imposed by the sudden, serious illness of a young child. I was particularly intrigued because this is a novel written by a medical doctor who has worked through these types of situations with children and families and has had first hand experience with threats to the orderly, everyday existence of a family.
As an added bonus, having lived in Michigan all my life, I was excited about the prospect of reading a novel set in familiar locations. My interest was immediately piqued in the opening chapters since I identified well with Anna's unease about crossing the Mackinac Bridge. That journey between the U.P. and the Lower Peninsula was never troubling before I became a mom, but grew increasing scary when traveling with young children, especially since many Michigan residents will never forget the tragedy of the woman whose car literally blew off the bridge on a stormy fall night. Once past those first few chapters however, cheesy shout outs to the author's University of Michigan employer seemed to be the extent of references to state locations.
Beyond disappointment with setting, each character's handling of his or her specific challenges were never effectively developed. Shifting between the viewpoints of three narrators was fine except the author never provided much more than a superficial understanding of or resolution to any of their issues. The introduction of an 'almost affair' with the husband's former lover as his means of coping with the uncertain fate of his child, the increasingly serious emotional decline of the wife, troublesome behaviors from the other child, and the child care provider's paranoia about having her day care center shut down were all disturbing in their lack of satisfying development.
As an added bonus, having lived in Michigan all my life, I was excited about the prospect of reading a novel set in familiar locations. My interest was immediately piqued in the opening chapters since I identified well with Anna's unease about crossing the Mackinac Bridge. That journey between the U.P. and the Lower Peninsula was never troubling before I became a mom, but grew increasing scary when traveling with young children, especially since many Michigan residents will never forget the tragedy of the woman whose car literally blew off the bridge on a stormy fall night. Once past those first few chapters however, cheesy shout outs to the author's University of Michigan employer seemed to be the extent of references to state locations.
Beyond disappointment with setting, each character's handling of his or her specific challenges were never effectively developed. Shifting between the viewpoints of three narrators was fine except the author never provided much more than a superficial understanding of or resolution to any of their issues. The introduction of an 'almost affair' with the husband's former lover as his means of coping with the uncertain fate of his child, the increasingly serious emotional decline of the wife, troublesome behaviors from the other child, and the child care provider's paranoia about having her day care center shut down were all disturbing in their lack of satisfying development.
January 13, 2013
"Ten Days" is the story of every parent's worst nightmare (or not being a parent myself, what I would imagine every parent's worst nightmare is at least). Your kid is sick with some sort of unknown illness and you have no idea what to do for them. This is exactly what happens to Anna and Jake. To make matters worse, both of them seem to almost be at wit's end of their marriage and relationship with each other. It's really sad. One would think that a child's illness would bring them together but both of them seem to be so bent out of shape with each other that things only seem to get worse.
I understand that good marriages don't last forever all the time but I could not really understand why there seemed to be so much dislike and coldness between them. They alternately blame each other in passive aggressive ways during their child's illness. Is it because of something that happened in the past that we the readers aren't aware of? Did it just sort of happen without a reason? There is a litany things that it could be but we are not privy to what that something is. It definitely took away from the book a little bit for me. I think I would of connected with the characters better if I could understand what happened to their marriage.
I also really did not get the story line with the daycare provider. She has all of these health inspectors scrutinizing her because two kids at her daycare get meningitis yet they don't comment on the fact that she doesn't have hot running water or some of the other things that are going on in her house. It was just interesting.
The baby in the book is suffering from meningitis, a very scary disease. As this book was written by a pediatrician, there is a lot of good detail in the book about the disease and its origin and possible treatments.
Bottom line: An ok read about real-life medical issues.
I understand that good marriages don't last forever all the time but I could not really understand why there seemed to be so much dislike and coldness between them. They alternately blame each other in passive aggressive ways during their child's illness. Is it because of something that happened in the past that we the readers aren't aware of? Did it just sort of happen without a reason? There is a litany things that it could be but we are not privy to what that something is. It definitely took away from the book a little bit for me. I think I would of connected with the characters better if I could understand what happened to their marriage.
I also really did not get the story line with the daycare provider. She has all of these health inspectors scrutinizing her because two kids at her daycare get meningitis yet they don't comment on the fact that she doesn't have hot running water or some of the other things that are going on in her house. It was just interesting.
The baby in the book is suffering from meningitis, a very scary disease. As this book was written by a pediatrician, there is a lot of good detail in the book about the disease and its origin and possible treatments.
Bottom line: An ok read about real-life medical issues.
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