Blurb: Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years, a bond formed by a lifetime of memories. Since childhood they have seen each other through life's milestones: stealing vodka from their parents, REM concerts, unexpected Scottish wakes, marriages, infertility, children. As Ash notes, "Edi's memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine."
When Edi is diagnosed with the final stages of terminal ovarian cancer, she makes the painstaking decision to leave behind her husband and son to move to a hospice down the road from Ash. Fierce and loving, Ash's world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi's palliative care, from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from inadvisable Pringle-consumption to impromptu excursions out into the frozen Massachusetts winter night.
As the novel winds to its powerful conclusion, We All Want Impossible Things' unforgettable characters and the forcefields of love between them will touch readers to the core, throwing the full panorama - the humour, compassion and absurdity - of not only dying, but also of living, into bold relief.
Review: I had heard so much about this author so when I was sent We All Want Impossible Things in the post my intrigue was piqued. As I read the opening lines I knew this book would be a rollercoaster of emotions.
If cancer is triggering for you right now, then maybe this novel isn't for you. But what I will say is put it on the back burner and pick it up at a later date as you will not be disappointed.
For those of you new to my little place on the internet I'm a crier. A good film, book, song or footballer can have me crying long into the night. We All Want Impossible Things is a heartbreaking and heartwarming read of love, life, friendship and grief. Yet as much as I've held my breath at a number of moments in Edi and Ash's story there hasn't been tears and I'm like Hayley are you truly ok. I think if I had read this short after my Nan's passing this may have hit me a lot harder.
What I will say is Catherine Newman has written a real and incredibly raw account of death and not only how we cope but how we change and adjust. Having been one of those family members coming and going to the hospice I saw all of that. In reading this now I can look back fondly and see just how real this tale is. Edi and Ash are adorable and I loved them both almost instantly but it's not just their tale. These characters could be you or I and that is where Catherine Newman's writing is at it's most powerful.
The elements of grief, you'll never be taught how to cope but when there is life there will also always be death. I found myself reminiscing and recognising a number of people I have lost and emphasising with each of those characters in different ways. As well as in different times in my life.
A truly powerful novel showcasing that of love life and loss. How it comes to us all and how simply being there is the best you can do. It's never enough but for that person who knows their time is coming to an end, all they truly want is the love of those they hold dear right until the very end.
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