Time to Say Goodbye by S.D. RobertsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Time taken to read - < 1 day
Pages - 352
Publisher - Avon HarperCollins
Blurb from Goodreads
Is there ever a right time to let go?
HOW DO YOU LEAVE THE PERSON YOU LOVE THE MOST?
Will Curtis’s six-year-old daughter, Ella, knows her father will never leave her. After all, he promised her so when her mother died. And he’s going to do everything he can to keep his word.
What Will doesn’t know is that the promise he made to his little girl might be harder to keep than he imagined. When he’s faced with an impossible decision, Will finds that the most obvious choice might not be the right one.
But the future is full of unexpected surprises. And father and daughter are about to embark on an unforgettable journey together . . .
My Review
Will Curtis is cut down in his prime when his bicycle is hit by a car. Will dies but finds his spirit looking down on the emergency services trying to revive him. His thoughts go to his daughter, Ella, and he goes to her school, only to watch the devastation of the news of his death broken to her. Wills spirit guide arrives to inform him about moving on but Will can't leave Ella, he promised when her mum died he would never leave her. But what can you do when you can't communicate, you are torn between moving on and staying by your family and you can't get straight answers? This is how it is for Will, after meeting another spirit he has a choice to make, stay forever on earth or move on to a higher place?
Oh this is a powerful wee book that will evoke a whirlwind of emotions from the reader. Loss, death, love, lies, secrets and families are some of the themes in this book, it also raises questions of what if and what happens after we die. I think if you have suffered a bereavement this book will strike many chords with you and pack quite a punch. If you haven't I think you will still enjoy it but maybe on a different level.
For a debut novel, this is a powerful wee book, well written and tackles some hard to read issues. A family affected by a tragedy, seeing it through their eyes but also the person who has died. You are rooting for Will and, for me, sitting pondering what if's with people I have lost. It is an emotional read, both for what it is and on a personal level. I would most definitely recommend this but for anyone with a recent bereavement maybe with a bit of caution. If you are looking for a moving tale and one that is likely to evoke tears, this is your winner, 4/5 for me. Thanks to Cheryl for bringing this wee gem to my attention, I will look out for this authors work again!
Lainy, this sounds like a very touching story. The premise of this wee book is very sad. Hopefully, it also has a bit of hope in it.
ReplyDeleteI really like the sound of this one, thanks for telling us about it.
ReplyDeleteGreat commentary on this book.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really good. I think that it is important that fiction deals with these really important and serious issues. It can deal with them in ways that non - fiction cannot.