You know all those things that are important? None of them matter if you’re not healthy enough to enjoy them. It’s when your family gets older you realize how much you take for granted at being able to do. I wanted older people to be in the novel and it revolves around them and their past to a large extent. I also wanted different reactions to how people get old to show different beliefs. Roberta never wants to get old, Alicia sees it as an obligation to take care of, and Frankie sees it as the end, the ultimate end and one he’s seen too much of.

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