Book review – The secret dairy of Hendrick Groen 83 ¾ years old

When Hendrick Groen moved into a retirement home he decided to keep a dairy, this book is the first twelve month’s entries. Hendrick, is one of life’s observers, he has a keen eye for detail and doesn’t miss much in the daily drama of a large group of people thrown into fairly close contact.

The home, a commercially run multi storey unit in Amsterdam, has two wings. One, where Hendrick lived, was made up of self contained single and double units and catered for eighty people. The other wing , catering for sixty people was for those who required care.

Hendrick finds himself a part of a of six people who have gradually self selected themselves into a compatible group. They decide to form a club, ‘The old but not dead club’- of which membership is closed. The club’s purpose is to have a fortnightly outing for the members, each taking a turn to organise the day. Finding something different becomes a competition with the group enjoying everything from a day at a casino to a day on the inland canals.

The group is also engage in a running battle with the complex manageress whose loyalty is clearly to the owning company rather than the residents. A draconian lady whose default position on any request is no.

The people in the group and it’s activities provide an ongoing narrative onto which the comings and goings, conflicts, joys, worries and quirks of the other residents are interwoven. This is a frank record of life in such a home, it certainly has great humour but also sadness, loyalty and love. A deep and enjoyable book.

Mike Beckett