On her fiftieth birthday, Beth Rutledge had an awakening. She was a good wife, had two grown children, a predictable, faithful husband, and a successful business. Beth took a drive that day into the nearby mountains. She hiked and communed with nature, then on her way down the mountain, she spied a cabin with a “For Rent” sign, and something happened. She stopped her car and peaked into the windows. Suddenly, she knew she must have the cabin, a place to go to in order to find herself. She hadn’t realized until then she had somewhere along the way lost herself. She contacted the person who wanted to rent out the cabin, deciding then and there that she must move there. Before husband and family, she had wanted to paint, but with marriage and children, she gave up that idea but with her artistic bent she opened an Interior Design Company that now had three employees who could handle the work without her constant attention. Beth knew she was completely out of her mind when she signed a rental agreement and later told her husband, David, what she had done and what she planned to do. He, of course, thought he had somehow failed her. He hadn’t planned a gala party for the birthday, and assumed she was upset about that or worse yet he surmised Beth had found someone else and wanted out of their marriage. Though Beth tried to assure David of her love, could he come to terms with this wild decision? Would they grow apart if she followed her dream? Beth hoped for the best. She knew leaving and taking time to be alone was best for her. She wanted this time. She also wanted her marriage. Steady, predictable David would surely understand, at least she hoped so. It would take a very strong and secure male to handle Beth’s sudden quest to find herself.

Linda Rettstatt has written a warm and tender story. The Year I Lost My Mind depicts the life of a woman who has led a happy life, but suddenly realizes something is missing and she wants to find the spark to reignite the flame of her youth. She was content with her husband and raising her family, but now with an empty nest and a business that can run without her constant attention she knows there is something more ahead for her. She loves her husband and doesn’t want to lose him, but she determines that in order to keep her successful marriage, she must rediscover the passion for life she once had. In The Year I Lost My Mind, Linda Rettstatt deftly weaves a satisfying story of a woman’s middle years, showing that sometimes the middle isn’t the beginning of the end but a new start that brings the latter years to a wonderful conclusion.

Reviewed by: Jaye Dee