As is usually the case, another set of flights translated into another title on the Kindle. On New Year's Day I wrapped up my first read of 2017 with When I'm Gone: A Novel by Emily Bleeker.
At the onset, I honestly couldn't remember if this book was something that I'd read before. It seems however that my brain was trying to correlate this novel of the death of a wife with a side of mystery to the other title Gone in my Kindle library (which isn't a fair comparison). [Apologies, Ms. Bleeker.]
Our main character, Luke, the widower, has lost his wife and in an effort to finalize all the things you wish you would have said if there were more time, Natalie has left a series of letters to be delivered to Luke over the course of the first year following her passing. It is never easy to observe someone's grief from the sidelines (even through digital pages), however the friendship he develops with Annie (Natalie's best friend) gives hope for the reader from the first "breakfast for lunch".
The read was quick and I was engaged in both the characters and the storyline. Natalie has a purpose for introducing people into Luke's life and I won't give all that away, though you will love Jessie. My sole complaint was that the ending wrapped itself up a little too quickly. (It seemed like 350 pages to build and 15 pages to end.) It was a little like my 2016 in that way, and maybe this was the reason I was hesitant to reach "Acknowledgements". I liked it and it was over too soon.
Savor those beautiful moments, readers. We just don't know how many we'll get.
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