I’m delighted to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour of the moving For When I’m Gone by Rebbeca Ley. Thank you to Tracy Fenton and Orion Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.
About the book:
Because there’s never enough time to say goodbye…
Sylvia knows that she’s running out of time. Very soon, she will exist only in the memories of those who loved her most and the pieces of her life she’s left behind.
So she begins to write her husband a handbook for when she’s gone, somewhere to capture the small moments of ordinary, precious happiness in their married lives. From raising their wild, loving son, to what to give their gentle daughter on her eighteenth birthday – it’s everything she should have told him before it was too late.
But Sylvia also has a secret, one that she’s saved until the very last pages. And it’s a moment in her past that could change everything…
About the author:
Rebecca Ley is a journalist who wrote a column for the Guardian, Doing it for Dad, about her father’s dementia. She has previously worked at the Times, the Sun and the Daily Mail. For When I’m Gone is her debut novel.
My Review:
For When I’m Gone by Rebecca Ley is a remarkable debut novel that once started I did not want to put down. It’s a beautifully written and moving book that explores themes of love, life, loss and grieving. Told in three interwoven parts, Then, Now and Sylvia’s Manual, it is the moving account of one family as they navigate the highs, lows, loves and losses of life.
Sylvia knows she doesn’t have much time left. Diagnosed with a devastating illness, she begins to write a handbook for her husband to read after she’s gone. Filled with precious memories of their lives together, Sylvia’s manual also contains tips on how to raise their children, detailing all the little things that only a mother knows. But Sylvia also has a secret that Paul knows nothing about. A secret she shares in the very last pages of her journal that tells of a moment in her past that could change everything…
Oh, what an insightful, beautifully written and moving book this is! I was drawn into Sylvia s life (and death) from the very first page. A woman who struggles to accept herself for the beautiful and unique person she is, her story will resonate with so many people, as it did with me. Touching on issues that aren’t always easy to read about, but that are written with such empathy and understanding, For When I’m Gone is a powerful story that will stay with me.
Rebecca Ley is an author I will definitely look out for in the future. Her writing is superb and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!
Highly recommended.
For When I’m Gone by Rebecca Ley is available to purchase now: Amazon Uk
Check out what these other lovely bloggers have to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 