“It’s well to remember that nothing is as bad as it seems at four o’clock in the morning,” Ann Ingle wrote in her new book, Still Here, published by O’Brien Press at €16.99 for 224 pages.
Ingle, an 87-year-old mother of eight and grandmother of 18, released her latest work following a late-blossoming literary career that began when she graduated from Trinity College at 58 and published her first book at 79.
The memoir addresses the stark physical realities of ageing, including the onset of macular degeneration, the fear of falling, and the loss of loved ones, while balancing these struggles with wit and sorrow.
Ingle discussed coping with ailments by invoking Maeve Binchy’s famous 10-minute limit for an organ recital before moving on to cheerier topics.
The book addresses a structural identity crisis by shifting between societal critiques and practical guides. Certain chapters lambast a Western culture that patronises the elderly by talking overly loudly or ignoring them entirely, contrasting it with the reverence shown to elders in countries such as Turkey.
Other sections shift into rudimentary explanations of how to use modern technology.
Julia Kelly also authored a recent work titled Still: A Memoir.
Ingle explores profound sorrow through her reflections on her daughter Róisín’s illness and the memory of finding her husband after his suicide.
The publication urges readers to maintain social interaction, movement, and gratitude.
For those seeking a gentle companion through later life, Ingle provides a reassuring voice.
