I recently read The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna Van Praag. In the story the personified house lets its' caretaker know that she will die within one year. Wow! - that piqued my interest in the story. The novel follows one main character and three supporting characters so this theme wasn't the central theme. But I did see Peggy, the caretaker, wrestle with how to spend the rest of her days, and feeling like it was futile to care about certain things and carry on with responsibilities and such.
SPOILER ALERT
Towards the end of the novel, Peggy decides to give up her lifetime commitment to caring for the house and go be happy with her boyfriend. Then the house tells her she isn't going to die as soon as she thought. Peggy asks the house why it told her she only had a year to live and the house replied, "so she could realize how [she] truly felt and what [she] truly wanted. Impending death always has a way of clearing the fog." (p. 270)
What fantastic news!!! Maybe I'm not going to die on July 12, 2017. Maybe I just need to feel a sense of urgency so that I will accomplish my goals.
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