Linden Lane

About the Book

The Administration on Aging estimates that out of roughly 106 million households, more than 22 million provide informal care to one or more elderly persons. We are all familiar with the signs and symptoms of elder abuse, those tragic circumstances when a helpless parent is mistreated by an offspring or caregiver. The movie The Savages portrays the relationship between two siblings who suddenly find themselves caring for a father who has developed dementia. But what happens when the elder in question is anything but frail. Linden Lane tells one such story. Lydia LeMay, the family matriarch and mother of ten, is determined that her children will care for her as she sees fit. So when her son Joey succumbs to AIDS, John is next in line. He and his wife, Maddie, move in to the home that Joey has deeded to them. By the time a sudden heart attack claims John’s life, Maddie has seen her marriage start to crumble and Linden Lane becomes a battleground for these two grieving women. Devastated and angry, Maddie struggles to cope with this unbearable situation by exploring the arts and traveling abroad. She stays away from her own home as much as possible until even this tactic turns on her. After Maddie has a serious car accident, a friend convinces her that she must leave Linden Lane forever. Just as she is preparing to make her escape, Lydia’s unexpected death brings more strife. A cruel set of accusations and a lawsuit from the remaining LeMay family plunges her deeper into the quagmire. Broken and betrayed, Maddie allows the LeMays to take all the furnishings and possessions out of the house before she puts it on the market. Maddie lost her husband and her home but, despite it all, discovered an inner strength and determination to finally live her life on her own terms.

About the Author

After the loss of her husband of forty years, Madeline LaFarge, a career nurse and mother of five, began painting watercolors and composing both poetry and prose. In her first chapbook, Oreos are for Breakfast, she uses language as a tool for self-discovery and expression. Madeline’s paintings have been in several galleries and art shows. Her watercolor Fantasy was awarded first prize at the Hyde Park Art Association’s 2002 Annual Spring Exhibit at Boston City Hall. Her poetry has also been published in the Dasoku and other chapbooks from the Kaji Aso Studio, where she studied the art of Zen conversation as a way of developing and deepening her work. She has been fortunate to study with a number of gifted instructors who imparted not only a love of craft, but also the sense of freedom and spontaneity necessary to artistic creation. Her philosophy of art as exploration, expression, and connection informs not only her creative process, but also her work as a teacher and facilitator. Madeline facilitates therapeutic-writing workshops and is available for poetry and short story readings. You can read more about Madeline on her website at www.madelinelafarge.com