Old Seems to be Other People by Lily Brett

In Old Seems to be Other People, Lily Brett’s unique take on getting older is simultaneously hilarious, serious and utterly irresistible. ‘I didn’t want to derail myself by thinking about my vulva and whether it was hospitable enough…’ Most of us would like to live to an old age, but few of us actually want to be old. In this disarming, intimate and self-deprecating collection of vignettes about aging, Lily Brett gives us snapshots of her life in New York. After avoiding a large dog that turns out to be a fire hydrant, and mistaking a tall, grey-haired woman for her husband, Lily has to concede that her ophthalmologist is right- she does need cataract surgery. She’s transfixed by a speed-dating dinner at a local cafe, and is told they also have speed-dating dinners for seniors. In the crowded Apple store, in Soho, two young Apple assistants decide it will take both of them to help her. In Old Seems to be Other People, Lily Brett’s unique take on getting older is simultaneously hilarious, serious and utterly irresistible.