Book Review: Ten Days

                  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


 Book Description: via Goodreads

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.