Fear of Dying

Aging. My recollection of laughing four decades ago while reading Erica Jong’s bestseller, Fear of Flying, led me to read her latest novel, Fear of Dying. Protagonist Vanessa Wonderman is struggling with a lot of aging issues now that she has arrived at age sixty. Her husband is older than she, and he has health problems. Her parents are struggling with old age, as is her poodle. All this could have made for either humor or insight. Instead, I was struck by the ways in which Vanessa chose to place her own needs at center stage. It all came across to me as meaningless, and neither funny nor wise. Rating: Two-star (I didn’t like it) Click here to purchase Fear of Dying from amazon.com.