What do you think?
Rate this book
Renewal
It’s been two years since aspiring novelist and English teacher Malcolm Aton has had any contact with his family. Ever since his divorce and the loss of his mother to cancer, his relationship with his father has been strained.
When he receives an urgent text from his brother, he learns the devastating news that their father’s memory issues have progressed. He’s now violent and at the end stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Although confrontation with his father is imminent, Malcolm reluctantly agrees to return home for the weekend and take on the mantle of caregiver while they contend with the difficult decision of how to care for their father. As is the case with everything involving his family, nothing goes as expected.
Unapologetically honest, RENEWAL is the story of a family learning to cope with the crippling diseases of cancer and Alzheimer’s, of allowing old wounds to heal, of a patriarch coming to terms with the deterioration of his memory and identity, and of Malcolm coming into his own by taking on the ultimate responsibility of caregiver.
When he receives an urgent text from his brother, he learns the devastating news that their father’s memory issues have progressed. He’s now violent and at the end stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Although confrontation with his father is imminent, Malcolm reluctantly agrees to return home for the weekend and take on the mantle of caregiver while they contend with the difficult decision of how to care for their father. As is the case with everything involving his family, nothing goes as expected.
Unapologetically honest, RENEWAL is the story of a family learning to cope with the crippling diseases of cancer and Alzheimer’s, of allowing old wounds to heal, of a patriarch coming to terms with the deterioration of his memory and identity, and of Malcolm coming into his own by taking on the ultimate responsibility of caregiver.
262 pages, Paperback
Published September 13, 2022
5 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Falank
8 books28 followersJoseph Falank enjoys writing that evokes emotion across many genres. He is the author of The Painted Lady, An Unexpected Visit, and Disconnected. His work has appeared in RiverLit Magazine, and he has also authored the young adult novel Seeing.
He lives with his wife and two children in upstate New York where he is currently working on his next novel.
He lives with his wife and two children in upstate New York where he is currently working on his next novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 3, 2022
The estranged son returns home after 3 years to help his brother deal with their father who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. The time had come that the safest place for their father would be an assisted living facility.
I was drawn to this book because of my personal experience with Alzheimer’s/dementia, involving my mother. I could identify with many of the things that were happening.
It's a hard book to read even if the reader has not had any personal experience with this debilitating disease.
It was a well-written account, albeit, a bit wordy at times. The two brothers were strong characters, each showing love for their father. The father was in and out of “normal” behaviour. My heart went out to all three of them.
While the story was not exactly about a typical Alzheimer’s case, I don't think there is a “Typical” case. Each person, each case, is individual. And each case is sad and traumatic for the family members.
The story evoked a lot of empathy and compassion for the situation. I feel that the author did an excellent job portraying the situation. And, there might have been a tear or two towards the end.
I was drawn to this book because of my personal experience with Alzheimer’s/dementia, involving my mother. I could identify with many of the things that were happening.
It's a hard book to read even if the reader has not had any personal experience with this debilitating disease.
It was a well-written account, albeit, a bit wordy at times. The two brothers were strong characters, each showing love for their father. The father was in and out of “normal” behaviour. My heart went out to all three of them.
While the story was not exactly about a typical Alzheimer’s case, I don't think there is a “Typical” case. Each person, each case, is individual. And each case is sad and traumatic for the family members.
The story evoked a lot of empathy and compassion for the situation. I feel that the author did an excellent job portraying the situation. And, there might have been a tear or two towards the end.
June 7, 2022
Omg...I don't have words for this book. Though my dad had cancer not Alzheimers so much radiates from this book. From being a care taker and having those ugly cries in heartbreaking moments. The feelings from this book broke my heart, brought back so many feelings and makes you realize how important family really is.
I'm glad this author decided to finish this book.
With even a heavy heart and a book hangover this book I have to say is just fantastic.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.
I'm glad this author decided to finish this book.
With even a heavy heart and a book hangover this book I have to say is just fantastic.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.
September 19, 2022
Malcolm Aton is an English teacher who is anxiously waiting to see if any publishing house will pick up his book. His mother is dead, and he hasn't returned home to visit his father in the two years since their last disastrous encounter at her funeral. He is also missing visits with his daughter. I didn't think that Malcolm was a particularly admirable person, although he improved over the course of the book.
Then he gets a dreaded call from his brother. Their father hit him with a chair and now Randy is too debilitated to care for him. Randy lives close to their father, and is married. His wife is expecting a child.
Malcolm goes to help out. It soon becomes evident to the brothers that their father can no longer live at home and he needs more supervision than either of them can give. He isn't safe to cook for himself, or to not flood the house, and truly is a danger to himself and others. He is also grieving the loss of his wife and has attempted suicide more than once.
I wanted to read this book because several of my family members have had this heartbreaking disorder and I wanted to get some new insights. I questioned the placement found for his father, where he had his own apartment, and meals were shared communally. It didn't seem to be a good situation for a suicidal man who had fits of violence, and was also not safe for the other residents. The book itself was well written and describes well the challenges that family members and those afflicted with this horrible disease face.
Thanks to the publisher BHC Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book. It was a pleasure to read and review this book.
Then he gets a dreaded call from his brother. Their father hit him with a chair and now Randy is too debilitated to care for him. Randy lives close to their father, and is married. His wife is expecting a child.
Malcolm goes to help out. It soon becomes evident to the brothers that their father can no longer live at home and he needs more supervision than either of them can give. He isn't safe to cook for himself, or to not flood the house, and truly is a danger to himself and others. He is also grieving the loss of his wife and has attempted suicide more than once.
I wanted to read this book because several of my family members have had this heartbreaking disorder and I wanted to get some new insights. I questioned the placement found for his father, where he had his own apartment, and meals were shared communally. It didn't seem to be a good situation for a suicidal man who had fits of violence, and was also not safe for the other residents. The book itself was well written and describes well the challenges that family members and those afflicted with this horrible disease face.
Thanks to the publisher BHC Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book. It was a pleasure to read and review this book.
October 27, 2022
4 renewed stars
“a new beginning, a forgiveness. His point of starting anew with me and himself. His renewal.”
From the publisher: “Unapologetically honest, RENEWAL is the story of a family learning to cope with the crippling diseases of cancer and Alzheimer’s, of allowing old wounds to heal, of a patriarch coming to terms with the deterioration of his memory and identity, and of Malcolm, (the writer/ teacher/ son), coming into his own.”
Reasons I enjoyed Renewal by Joseph Falank very much: Strong descriptive writing which never gets bogged down in too much detail, gentle humor, (“Somewhere, a politically correct angel was denied their wings.”), a serious side with tender moments, a bit of drama, engaging characters, effective pacing, and absorbing storytelling. Definitely recommended for people who like family stories!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“a new beginning, a forgiveness. His point of starting anew with me and himself. His renewal.”
From the publisher: “Unapologetically honest, RENEWAL is the story of a family learning to cope with the crippling diseases of cancer and Alzheimer’s, of allowing old wounds to heal, of a patriarch coming to terms with the deterioration of his memory and identity, and of Malcolm, (the writer/ teacher/ son), coming into his own.”
Reasons I enjoyed Renewal by Joseph Falank very much: Strong descriptive writing which never gets bogged down in too much detail, gentle humor, (“Somewhere, a politically correct angel was denied their wings.”), a serious side with tender moments, a bit of drama, engaging characters, effective pacing, and absorbing storytelling. Definitely recommended for people who like family stories!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 31, 2022
Thank you to LibraryThing, Joseph Falank and BHC Press for the ability to read this advanced copy of Renewal.
Renewal follows Malcolm, a high-school English teacher, writer and son of Dennis who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and is currently being taken care of by his other son, Randy. When Malcolm receives a phone call from Randy about their father's health status, he drops everything to help and plan for his father's future. Their mother Nora, passed away two years ago from Lung Cancer which makes this all harder on both brothers.
Renewal is about forgiveness, death, and renewal of their lives after heartbreak. Joseph Falank writes about Alzheimer's so well and it is absolutely heartbreaking at times. I have had multiple family members who have suffered from the disease and Joseph lays out Malcolm's experience with such finesse. Malcolm takes the experience of taking care of his father, after 2 years of not speaking to him, and changes his perspective on a lot of things. He slowly makes amends with not only his father, but with the mistakes, he has made in his life. Despite being a shorter novel, the character growth from Malcolm is evident.
I was invested in this book from the very beginning. The way that Falank wrote this novel, feels like Malcolm was telling me the story in person. It all flowed so nicely and kept me interested and wanting to know more as the story went on. Renewal overall did an amazing job at telling the story of family, Alzheimer's, and renewal.
Renewal follows Malcolm, a high-school English teacher, writer and son of Dennis who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and is currently being taken care of by his other son, Randy. When Malcolm receives a phone call from Randy about their father's health status, he drops everything to help and plan for his father's future. Their mother Nora, passed away two years ago from Lung Cancer which makes this all harder on both brothers.
Renewal is about forgiveness, death, and renewal of their lives after heartbreak. Joseph Falank writes about Alzheimer's so well and it is absolutely heartbreaking at times. I have had multiple family members who have suffered from the disease and Joseph lays out Malcolm's experience with such finesse. Malcolm takes the experience of taking care of his father, after 2 years of not speaking to him, and changes his perspective on a lot of things. He slowly makes amends with not only his father, but with the mistakes, he has made in his life. Despite being a shorter novel, the character growth from Malcolm is evident.
I was invested in this book from the very beginning. The way that Falank wrote this novel, feels like Malcolm was telling me the story in person. It all flowed so nicely and kept me interested and wanting to know more as the story went on. Renewal overall did an amazing job at telling the story of family, Alzheimer's, and renewal.
June 16, 2022
The characters are fiction but they certainly feel real with a story that digs deep into the human soul creating a flood of emotions.
This is Mel’s story. He is a 7th grade English teacher in PA and just submitted a novel in hopes that it will be published. His brother, Randy, lives with his wife in a small town of NY which is minutes away from their dad, Dennis, who has been living alone. Their mom died two years ago from lung cancer.
The story starts when Randy sent a message: “Mel, you need to come home. Dad’s not well.” The red flag went up. His father had Alzheimer’s disease with the textbook symptoms: he forgets things, has mood swings, he doesn’t recognize faces, names and numbers. Sometimes it looks like he’s stuck in a trance. He tends to mumble or drool. Sometimes he doesn’t know how to hold a pencil in his fingers. It's basic stuff. The stinger: he may hurt someone if he doesn’t know who this person is in his home. Is it time for an assisted living facility? I would say yes.
If that’s not enough, Mel, kept his phone close by waiting for a call. The author tossed in a glimpse of what it’s like to work with a literary agent. Mel started writing novels at age 14 as a comfortable hobby. Now it was all about hope – for his book to be published.
The author didn’t leave much out from what exactly happens to a patient with Alzheimer’s. Many will be able to relate to the pieces of the disease which can be very painful to witness. While the book is less than 300 pages, it can take some time to process. Parts were intense with sadness; others made you smile. There were some unexpected twists that made it more interesting. It was well written with a good flow of words. This is one book I can’t stop talking about in memory of my father and all those that have suffered from this dreadful disease.
My thanks to Joseph Falank, BHC Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of September 13, 2022.
This is Mel’s story. He is a 7th grade English teacher in PA and just submitted a novel in hopes that it will be published. His brother, Randy, lives with his wife in a small town of NY which is minutes away from their dad, Dennis, who has been living alone. Their mom died two years ago from lung cancer.
The story starts when Randy sent a message: “Mel, you need to come home. Dad’s not well.” The red flag went up. His father had Alzheimer’s disease with the textbook symptoms: he forgets things, has mood swings, he doesn’t recognize faces, names and numbers. Sometimes it looks like he’s stuck in a trance. He tends to mumble or drool. Sometimes he doesn’t know how to hold a pencil in his fingers. It's basic stuff. The stinger: he may hurt someone if he doesn’t know who this person is in his home. Is it time for an assisted living facility? I would say yes.
If that’s not enough, Mel, kept his phone close by waiting for a call. The author tossed in a glimpse of what it’s like to work with a literary agent. Mel started writing novels at age 14 as a comfortable hobby. Now it was all about hope – for his book to be published.
The author didn’t leave much out from what exactly happens to a patient with Alzheimer’s. Many will be able to relate to the pieces of the disease which can be very painful to witness. While the book is less than 300 pages, it can take some time to process. Parts were intense with sadness; others made you smile. There were some unexpected twists that made it more interesting. It was well written with a good flow of words. This is one book I can’t stop talking about in memory of my father and all those that have suffered from this dreadful disease.
My thanks to Joseph Falank, BHC Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of September 13, 2022.
July 4, 2022
This book is about family, forgiveness, death and renewal. Malcolm is a teacher who leaves three hours away from his father and brother, Randy. He is divorced and sees his daughter two weekends a month. His parents were very upset over the divorce. Malcolm and his father haven’t spoken in the last two years, after an out of control argument, during his mother’s funeral. Malcolm has not been back but now. Things are bad at home. Their father’s Alzheimers has worsened and things have come to a dangerous head. Malcolm has to go back to his family home to help “sort things out” and in doing so, stands up his daughter for the 4th weekend in a row. His ex-wife does not let him off easy with the change in plans. He is also feeling very anxious about a book he has written and is waiting for his agent to call him back. Lots of life in this book with an emphasis on families dealing with Alzheimers. The book flows well and is an easy read. I sat with it and read it almost straight through.
Thank you to NetGalley and BHC Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and BHC Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 23, 2022
Falank writes an honest, raw, gut wrenching, heartbreaking novel about the reality of Alzheimer’s disease. These characters, though fictional, could be anyone; it could be your mom, your dad, brother, sister, grandparent etc… That’s why this book touches your heart. But there is so much more about this book than the debilitating disease – this book is also about forgiveness, about relationships, heartbreak, and the renewal of life after all of that. Falank also threw a bit of humor into the book with the joking around between the brothers, and there was one joke that made me laugh out loud, so hard. I appreciated that since the topic of the book was very heavy.
This isn’t a long book; it is a short read, and it does read fast. It is heavy, and it will stay with you. I highly suggest everyone read this one. It’s a book that you don’t want to miss.
This isn’t a long book; it is a short read, and it does read fast. It is heavy, and it will stay with you. I highly suggest everyone read this one. It’s a book that you don’t want to miss.
June 12, 2022
This is a wonderful, yet heartbreaking, very real depiction of a man's journey with the dreaded Alzheimer's disease
His adult sons needs to make some tough, but necessary decisions as they struggle to come to terms with what is coming.
Not easy to accept that the family roles are reversing.
Each person is an individual and truly this dreadful disease does not follow any rules!
Thank you to #BHC Press and to NetGalley for this ARC and allowing me to provide my own review.
Well done!
His adult sons needs to make some tough, but necessary decisions as they struggle to come to terms with what is coming.
Not easy to accept that the family roles are reversing.
Each person is an individual and truly this dreadful disease does not follow any rules!
Thank you to #BHC Press and to NetGalley for this ARC and allowing me to provide my own review.
Well done!
January 4, 2023
A fiction book that feels surprisingly real. The characters are superbly presented and relatable. It's a heartbreaking story about I believe the most cruel disease and it is told with honesty and integrity. Alzheimer's is the most prolonged mortality both for the patient and their family. I loved this beautiful novel.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews