Fred’s Funeral is a novella by Sandy Day, inspired by hundreds of letters written by the author’s Great Uncle Fred, but a wonderful concoction of her imagination.
Fred Sadler has just died in his room in a hospital for the mentally ill. He sees his cousin and his brother and a whole family of those who died before him, congregating on the other side of an ethereal divide. The problem is, he can’t cross the divide. He finds himself – or at least his consciousness – watching from the ceiling of his room, as his priggish sister-in-law, Viola, and her brother, Thomas, open his one possession, an old battered suitcase. It is Viola who gives her interpretation of Fred’s life based on old memories and the contents of the suitcase.
As they paw through his belongings, Fred is shocked to find Viola’s version of the events of his life is not as he remembers it. Why had he spent so many years locked up in Whitby Hospital for the Insane?
As Fred moves through his funeral and the gathering of the family afterward, and between his memories and the pronouncements of Viola and others, we learn that the young Fred went off to fight in World War I and came back damaged: addicted to binge drinking, constantly angry and full of anxieties. At that time, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome was not recognized, and the remainder of his life was consumed by his trying to govern his emotions and fit in, his family’s attempts to provide and adjust for him, and finally, his placement in the hospital. We are reminded of the barbarity of the so-called modern treatments for patients at that time in such institutions.
What I particularly liked about this story are the ways different people look at the same events, and the ability to see how his confusion, frustration, and mental breakdown – now so understandable – were met with misunderstanding by his family. Fred desperately wants to gain control of his life, to spend his life in the home and with the family he so values, but can’t help pushing them away. The reader can feel his angst and understand his actions, but at the same time see themselves in the family’s shoes. The author does a wonderful job of describing family relationships and deep-seated feelings.
This is a short, but very profound read.
About the author:
Sandy Day is the author of Chatterbox, Poems. She graduated from Glendon College, York University, with a degree in English Literature and spends her summers in Jackson’s Point, Ontario on the shore of Lake Simcoe. She winters nearby in Sutton by the Black River. Sandy took 20 years off from writing to run a gift store and raise a family, but is now a trained facilitator for the Toronto Writers Collective’s creative writing workshops. She is a developmental editor and book coach.
You can find her at
@sandeetweets
And Fred’s Funeral on Amazon at
https://www.amazon.com/Freds-Funeral-Sandy-Day/dp/1979556164
FRED’S FUNERAL is based on a true story. The details came from the letters, journals and recollections of the author’s Uncle Fred who, like the title character, fought in World War One and returned a changed man.
A beautifully written story of families and relationships.
I guess I didn’t make it clear that it was based on truth but imagined to fill in the story…
A lovely review of Sandy’s book, Noelle. I also really enjoyed it.
Thanks, Robbie.
Thank you Noelle.
Thanks for a mindful review, Noelle. I agree that it is fascinating to see how completely differently people will perceive the same thing or person. Best to Sandy with this one. Hugs!
I wasn’t sure how I would react to the story line, Teagan, but having a son in the military gave me a place to start. I could really feel both Fred’s angst and his family’s.
Excellent review! Sharing…
Thanks, Bette. I’m sure it will find fans our there!
This sounds very good! It is very interesting (and hard) to see how different our perceptions of people and events can be. Very original idea for a book.
And so nice that it’s based on a real person and events, even if imagination has to fill in.
Thanks for this review. I’m glad you enjoyed Fred’s Funeral.
You are most welcome. It struck a chord because I’m an Army Mom – he’s been in 14 years now, and the anxiety for him hasn’t lessened with his deployments. I’ve seen what some of the longer ones have done to him.
What a lovely review, Noelle. Sounds like an interesting read.
It is, Shelley, and it’s fairly short. The characters are remarkable.
Thanks, Noelle. This one is on my list of books to be read in the very near future and you’ve helped me push it farther up the list. Thanks so much and great review!
Thanks, Olga. I am currently reading Manor House, so we are trading!