Not quite a review of "A Pocket Full of Happiness" by Richard E. Grant

"A Pocket Full of Happiness," by the actor Richard E. Grant, is, sporadically, a memoir, of Grant's life and work, but also his marriage to Joan Washington.  Interspersed with the memoir, about half of the content deals with Washington's cancer, and eventual death.

(Initially, I felt rather weird similarities and differences between Grant's story and my own.  Grant is a famous actor.  I am not.  Grand had eight months with his wife, while she was dying.  Gloria died in two and a half weeks, and most of that time was comatose, sleeping, or otherwise unable to speak.  But Grant and his wife were married eight months before Gloria and I were.  When Grant met his wife, she was more established in her career than he was.  Grant's wife was older than he was, and had a child when they were married.  Grant's wife died four months before Gloria died.)

While there is nothing particularly novel in this book, it makes important points about cancer, caregiving, end of life, and anticipatory grief.  It is also possibly easier to read than many of the works on those topics, as it is leavened with humour and celebrity gossip.