“Boomerang” by Krista Huebner

Boomerang

Krista Huebner
Azure Design Group (2025)
ISBN: 978-1778103933
Reviewed by Justin Gaynor for Reader Views (12/2025)

Boomerang is not a how-to manual but rather an objet d’art.  Like any work of art, it works both to instantiate the vision of the author as well as stimulate a new way of looking at the world in the reader.  Author Krista Huebner knows firsthand what it feels like to hold the care of a physically failing elder in one’s hand.  It is a job that society ignores, despite the “tsunami of Baby Boomers,” and it is unpaid work that largely falls to women. 

When people in the Western world think about the course of a life, it often sounds something like: Go to school.  Learn a trade.  Work diligently. Find a spouse, then raise kids before heading off for a well-deserved retirement. What’s missing from this sequence is the period in our lives when we need to devote time, sometimes many years or even decades, to supporting the needs of the elderly in our lives.

Because this responsibility isn’t part of our plan, many are caught by surprise at just what a demanding undertaking it is, with the potential to completely upend one’s life.  Let us not forget the emotional toll of knowing that each day may be the last.  These selfless caregivers are the ones for whom this book was written – or rather, for whom this art was created.

At the end of a day that has been emotionally, financially, and/or physically stressful, I’d recommend reaching for this book rather than a box of chocolate or a bottle of wine.  First of all, it, too, is comforting, without the health consequences of the other options.  It’s a small miracle of design, about 5” wide by 6” tall and a couple of inches thick, bound in a sturdy hard cover of soft pastels and clear, easy-to-read text.   The font is attractive and easy to read, with large letters centered on each page.  Just looking at it may cause your blood pressure to drop.

The pages themselves, after a short introduction, are equally relaxing shades of pale green, peach, pink, and light purple:

Green:  Truths and Golden Rules
Peach:  Keeping Perspective and Being Perceptive (with a single page titled “The apple doesn’t fall far
from the tree.”)
Pink:  Challenges, Coping, Being Mindful and Tuning In
Purple:  Self Awareness, Forgiving, Expectations, and Tomorrow is a New Day

A frazzled reader can pick which of these topics they most need to hear about and flip to it directly without worrying about plot or missing the big picture.  Your life is the big picture, and this book just serves to help you live it. Each page has a single sentence or “unpretentious kernel of self-realization” to help you gather your thoughts, spark a conversation, or simply to feel less alone in your struggle.

A few of my favorites: 

• “You can never regain what is lost.  Cherish and make the most of what is.”
• “There is no greater gift you can give someone than yourself.”
• “A fluid mind runs more efficiently than a rigid one.”
• “Communicate non-verbally…gentle touch, facial expression, a warm embrace, holding hands.”
• “Discovering patience and resilience you never knew you had.”

The reader can flip through the pages and gobble down these thoughts, but I believe the author/artist’s intent was to give the reader room to simply reflect on a single thought at a time, discovering how it relates to their own situation.  Instead of spinning into an undirected maelstrom of unproductive thoughts, these provide guideposts or handholds to help the caretaker understand their journey and how they fit into a bigger picture.  Finally, we are gently reminded that nobody is perfect and it’s okay to make mistakes or feel defeated sometimes.

Everybody’s health will fail them eventually, and watching it happen to a beloved parent is particularly wrenching. It may also involve a great deal of work and sacrifice to one’s career and relationships. It’s a job that nobody should have to tackle alone, and thanks to Krista Huebner’s Boomerang, nobody needs to.