A Matter of Life and Death

Tom Halliday has seen better days. He’s been jobless and without direction for six months, his wife Lena left him, and his twin sister Sophie just called to tell him their mother’s cancer has returned and it’s terminal this time. To make matters worse, Sophie’s asked him to return with her to their parents’ home in Myreton to support them until their mother passes - a place he’s avoided for years due to his strained relationship with his mother, Lorraine.

I was immediately drawn into this family-centered story. It’s well-written, smart, relatable and so funny! Here’s where I think it really shines:

The characters. They’re all dysfunctional, yet so very human in how they cope with life. Tom is your classic ostrich. He buries his head in the sand to avoid pain and frequently uses humor to deflect vulnerability. Sophie, on the other hand, thrives on blunt honesty and sarcasm. Individually and together, these two made me laugh! Alternately, their douchey older brother Pete buries himself in his work and has almost no sense of humor, unlike his hilarious three-year-old son Crawford! I also loved Tom’s friendships with one-time school mates Emma and Mike. Both were fun and sweet in their own ways. There was a wealth of great characters!

The story. Everyone has regrets. Seeing Tom come to terms with his anger towards his dying mother for her past parenting decisions, and Lorraine seeing the way her choices made him feel, was simultaneously heartbreaking and cathartic. Tom recognizing how his subsequent choices harmed his marriage and family was also a nice arc. It sounds heavy, but it wasn’t. It was actually quite heartwarming. There’s a lot of emotional depth to this story.

The tone. On the surface, the premise sounds quite gloomy and depressing! It’s not at all. In reality, it’s a story with a lot of humor and warmth and more than a few truly touching and heartfelt moments. Of course death is sad, but there's also a lot of wonderful life in these pages. Marr skillfully balances the emotional tone, allowing for many laugh out loud moments, smiles and some tears along the way.

The setting. Myreton may be a fictitious town in Scotland, but it’s well visualized and I could feel its richly described atmosphere. From the Halliday home to the village bar … I wanted to visit all these places!

Overall, I lost myself in this story, these characters and this town and truly enjoyed my time spent with them. No major downsides. Pete's arc felt like it resolved a little too easily and neatly, and I'd hoped Tom’s heart would lead him in a different direction at the end, but you can’t have everything you want! It’s a wonderful story and I highly recommend it if you enjoy a blend of dysfunctional family drama with a healthy dose of humor.

Thank you to author, Andy Marr, for this copy to honestly review.

★★★★ ½