OUT OF TIME

In Murray’s novel, an elderly Canadian woman who gave up on love long ago meets an American man who leads her to consider a late-in-life relationship.

In 2016, 78-year-old Torontonian Maddie Cole, who divorced her husband decades ago, is retired from her job as an environmental engineer. One of her favorite pastimes is traveling with her middle-aged daughter, Anne. They choose an inn in Bar Harbor, Maine, for their latest retreat, and 80-something Nate Jacobs, the inn’s owner, clearly takes a shine to Maddie. When Anne gets called away from the vacation on business, Maddie decides to stay. As she spends more time with Nate, exploring the town, enjoying nice meals, and learning about his prior marriage and career, it’s obvious that there’s a mutual attraction. They discover that they’ve been frequenting many of the same locations for much of their lives. As their connection grows stronger, theyboth wonder if there’s still time for them to have a meaningful relationship. Told from both Maddie and Nate’s perspectives in alternating chapters, the story’s focus on a love affair between seniors offers an uplifting reminder that one may find love at any age. Readers may be less receptive to the graphic sex scenes, which feel out of step with the prose’s refined, almost formal, tone. The author also includes too many details regarding minutiae, slowing the narrative and rendering an otherwise charming story somewhat tedious. For example, when Nate travels to Toronto, Murray details how long it takes him to deplane, his walk to customs, and his wait at the baggage claim (“The airport was much different than I remembered. I looked around, reading the signs, and trying to get oriented while I got out my cell phone”), before his reunion with Maddie—a meetup that’s too sedate to undo the dullness. Similarly, the characters talk through trivial issues at length, which does little to advance the plot. Overall, readers may find that the narrative’s gentle, meandering nature may require some patience.

A docile exploration of late-in-life romance, best for people in no hurry.