One Last Lunch

May 1, 2020

Who would you pick to dine with one more time? Editor and memoirist Heller (Yossarian Slept Here) asked friends and family of authors, artists, musicians, and other personalities to imagine one last meal with their dearly departed. The result is a sometimes heartfelt, sometimes underwhelming collection of essays exploring the many ways in which we experience grief and the possibility of a second chance. The 50 essays include last meals with notables such as David Bowie, Christopher Hitchens, Steve Jobs, Richard Pryor, and Kurt Vonnegut. Familiarity with the subjects is beneficial, as some entries are very specific, which may be a hindrance to being appreciated fully. The pieces that shine strike a balance between the writer and subject and provide meaningful insight into their relationship, such as Sara Moulton's lunch with Julia Child and Anne Serling's date with her father, Rod Serling. Of note are the entries that evoke universal appeal, such as Phyllis Raphael's heartbreaking goodbye to her grandson and Adrian G. Lesser's reflections on Oliver Sacks. VERDICT A thought-provoking, albeit uneven, compilation with varied insights into grief, mourning, reconciliation, and forgiveness. Recommended where literary anthologies are popular.--Anitra Gates, Erie Cty. P.L., PA

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2020
The death of someone near often leaves survivors wanting just one more encounter and a chance to say the unsaid, to tie up loose ends. Heller (Yossarian Slept Here, 2011) contacted friends, spouses, and children of late famous people?Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Julia Child, Paul Newman, and David Bowie among them?and asked them to imagine one last lunch with their friend or loved one. An encounter with Steve Jobs comes in the form of a comic. Norman Mailer's daughter finds that her father has softened; Kenneth Tynan's daughter finds him as obtuse and irascible as ever. And one writer gets stood up in his own invented lunch with Oliver Sacks! Heller herself holds court with her own difficult father and does not rewrite their history, even a little. While this book may appeal most to Boomers, imagined lunches with luminaries like the ever-enchanting Prince and the ever-on Robin Williams might just spur Gen Xers and younger "gens" to read on and learn about artistic and literary lights in this special and unique way. A delightful repast.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)