“A Reason to Be: A Novel” by Norman McCombs. Austin, Texas: Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2020. 216 pages, $17.95 (hardcover).

Douglas McCombs has been lost to grief after his wife, Hope, passes away. After a long battle with his wife’s Alzheimer’s, without assistance because his wife did not want to be seen that way, Douglas is lost at sea. His friend, and a man who is much like his son, is determined to bring him back to the land of the living and his career. Douglas is an accomplished engineer who has been retired for several years, but who has had a fascination for his own genealogy for years and wants to begin researching his family’s history. When his friend Mark drags him outside and then finally to the New York Public Library, Douglas meets Suzy Hamilton. She is a quick-witted and compassionate librarian in charge of the very section where Douglas hopes to do research. With her help, he starts to shake his grief and learn about his Scottish lineage. As the tale starts in 15th century Scotland and then takes us through time to the present, we will learn more about Douglas and the battles he has fought. It is a tale of loss, hope and love.

This book has a strong thread of friendship and love throughout it. I thought that although the book summary does not mention him, Mark has such an incredibly important role to play. He is the one who keeps calling Douglas after his wife dies. He is the one who comes and checks on him. He is the one who pulls him out of his grief with persistence and determination, and most importantly understanding, and helps him pursue a passion again. Mark continues to spend time with him and check on him as Douglas battles his own demons from his past and because of his late wife, and I think showing that is so important. It isn’t just about romance or recovering enough from grief to love someone else – it’s about having friends there who care.

Douglas is certainly wealthy and had great prestige in his career. However, he is not immune to those everyday mistakes we make, of self-doubt or of the effects of grief. Douglas becomes and stays a recluse after his wife passes away, and he hides from the world that has mostly forgotten him. He must learn to deal with having lost someone who was so important to him, but also learn to accept that that relationship is not the golden one that he thinks it was. Often in times of crisis, support or grief, we build this golden altar upon which we put our memories. We forget the hurts, the truths and the problems that existed because we want to honor that person’s memory. But that does not honor ourselves, or allow us to deal with all of our feelings once someone has passed. This book is an excellent testimony to that battle.

There is a power to knowing your ancestry and your history. Douglas wants to know more about the family he heard of as a young boy. He wishes to figure out who his ancestors were and where his Scottish heritage lies. I was kind of sad that it so quickly moves from the Scottish-based tales into those of his immigrant ancestors who came to America. The author shows us Douglas’ past by shifting between the past and the present. Therefore, this novel is told from many viewpoints. It helps the pace and keeps it moving along.

As Douglas learns more and more, he has to wrestle with truths that he may not want to acknowledge. He learns the role his ancestors had in the Revolution. Truths are revealed about his parentage and heritage that make him question what he has been told. It is interesting how tales morph and grow as they are repeated over time, and it was fun to go through the research phase with Douglas, but to also actually get to see the stories come to life on the page. Occasionally, the story does drag in pace, or from an abrupt change, but usually picked up quickly.

I was unsure of the romance between Douglas and Suzy. At first, I had a hard time figuring out each of their ages and picturing them in real life. It was also fuzzy exactly on the timeline of when the wife died, and therefore I questioned how quickly he found another woman (this gets cleared up though, as we learn more in the story). Suzy is a very strong woman who has clearly worked hard to be independent, and I enjoyed her character very much. Also, she’s a librarian, which is always awesome. Suzy begins her own journey into her heritage at the encouragement of Douglas, and so that is woven into the story as well.

This story is based loosely on the author’s own wife. He lost his wife to Alzheimer’s and dealt with his grief. He worked on finding out his past and his heritage. Norman McCombs is also a very successful engineer. In seeing the very close similarities, I believe this must have been a hard thing to write. I applaud him for his willingness to share his story.

– Reviewed by Fallon Willoughby, first-year experience instructor, Southcentral Kentucky Community & Technical College.