Rules of the Road: A Novel

Written with warmth and humor Rules of the Road, by Irish writer, Ciara Geraghty, explores the dark themes of loss in general and Alzheimer's and Assisted Suicide in particular. In the end, this is a book about love, friendship, self-discovery, and living your best day every day. With her father in the car, Terry searches for her friend Iris to prevent her from doing something she could regret. After locating her, the three embark on a road trip from Dublin, Ireland to Zurich, Switzerland. 930+ miles and many adventures later, their lives will change forever. The road trip is quite eventful. Iris, Terry and her dad get themselves into some rather humorous situations, do a lot of self-reflection and get to know each other better than they ever thought they would. This is a story of self-discovery, friendship, family and acceptance. There are some tough subjects in this story, ethical suicide, dementia, new beginnings after losing your job, and more. There’s a bit of a race against time for Terry, trying to convince her best friend, Iris, that life is always worth living, but she soon learns more about Iris’s choices and reasons as they travel toward the border to Zurich; learning more about the parts Iris’s MS that she hides from Terry and the world. There is not all doom and gloom in this story. I enjoyed the happy times they shared on this road trip which reminded me how important it is to look for the positives and happiness in life while you can. The Multiple Sclerosis and Dementia are dealt with in a serious and sensitive way, but do keep tissues nearby. This was an emotional story with a very human side and I definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a human story. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

This poignant and emotive story held a highly unusual premise and was rather ingeniously plotted and narrated through the highly anxious, introspective, and frustrated lens in the first person POV of the main character of Terry. The writing style was agile, evocative, and cleverly amusing as well as heart squeezing. If you were hoping for a fast-paced adventure and a road trip full of hi-jinx, you need to keep looking. This is a thoughtfully written yet highly engaging character-based tale with real-world issues while generously seasoned with humorous observations and vibrant imagery. Two best friends, Iris and Terry, along with Terry’s elderly dementia patient father, impetuously struck out on a journey from Dublin to Zurich in Terry’s older car, to complete a personal mission for Iris, one that Terry hoped would not conclude as Iris had meticulously planned. Terry had insinuated herself into Iris’s plan at the last minute hoping to change the end result before reaching their destination. Iris was besieged with the progressive physical deterioration, discomforts, and limitations of a chronic disease and did not relish living the remainder of her life trapped in her body – which is an issue that resonated intensely with me, as this is a personal fear of my own. Terry’s elderly father’s advancing Dementia was a constant concern and bone wearying challenge, which was deftly and sensitively handled with a surprisingly informative and often humorous approach to the complications. Their odyssey was slow, quite arduous, and fraught with anxieties and a plethora of imagined catastrophes for Terry, a nervous driver who was afraid of the motorway and drove so slowly that even elderly drivers honked and swore at her. The trio experienced numerous detours and escapades as well as eye-opening insights and out of her comfort zone adventures that powered profound changes for Terry. The ending was not one I expected yet was realistic and surprisingly satisfying as I continue to ruminate over Ms. Geraghty’s clever missive. I have a feeling these characters are going to continue to inhabit my headspace for quite some time.