The Anniversary

By: Amanda Pauley

Narrated by: Carolyn Cook

Maria lives alone in a cramped house, but she is perfectly content with her quiet life. At 39 years old, she has a successful career as a social worker, maintains friendly but distant relationships with coworkers, and enjoys her favorite Mozart in her spare time. But with the arrival of a bright-eyed new employee and a tragic anniversary, Maria's peaceful world seems on the verge of crumbling.

©2015 Amanda Pauley (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Gut-wrenching Story for Our Times

Hard hitting and packed with emotions, this short tale of a social worker who is called to visit an aging hoarder who is in dire need of help will stick with me for a long time. Maria who is 39 years old stays to herself, doesn't go to parties or have friends . . . only acquaintances, yet she is very professional and well liked at her government position where she is used to being called out to a myriad of heartbreaking situations that most of us cannot even imagine. This particular day, which is one that Maria already dreads, she is stuck with a new employee, fresh to the situations that social workers face in the field, and with no one else to pair her up with, Maria's boss sends her out with her. The scene of Maria scooping out the old woman's poop filled toilet while her new employee watches, after having witnessed Maria buying cat food out of her own pocket, is one of the most poignant and telling in the story. The government isn't going to spring for cat food, although they will buy emergency food for the woman. The stench and packed clutter of the old woman's house is nearly too much for the new employee, who has to go outside for air. The look back into Maria's early life gives much insight to how she came to be a social worker . . . and how she came to be a very private person. Excellent, although difficult listen.