The Collected Regrets of Clover

 

Grief is just love looking for a place to settle.

Synopsis:

Clover Brooks is a 36-year-old death doula living in NYC, whose job it is to provide comfort, support and a listening ear to the dying.  Her interest in death began in kindergarten when her teacher collapsed and died in front of the class and was reinforced by her parents’ accidental deaths a year later. She’s not morbid, but rather sees death as a natural part of life that she can help people process in their final days. The only problem is that she herself seems to have forgotten to LIVE. 

Raised by her now-deceased grandfather, she’s never had a romantic relationship or friendships with peers and only socializes with one of her grandfather’s friends named Leo. When a new uninhibited tenant named Sylvie moves into her building and a man named Sebastian hires her to care for his 91-year-old dying grandmother, Claudia, Clover’s world begins to open up. She’s used to being the one to teach others, but Sylvie, Sebastian and particularly Claudia, may just teach Clover a thing or two about living!

My Thoughts:

Mikki Brammer’s debut novel is beautifully written and has a thoughtful, almost philosophical feel to it.  The blurb compares it to Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, and I can see that.  It addresses a topic that, frankly, most of us probably don’t want to think about or discuss much, yet ultimately draws the focus far more to the idea of living life fully. Yes, it addresses aspects of death and dying that may make people sensitive to that topic uncomfortable, but it also promotes the idea of appreciating your life and living it well! It was fun to see Clover’s world open up over the course of the story.

Speaking of Clover, she isn’t easy to like at times. She’s guarded and mistrustful due to a lifetime of being misunderstood, yet she’s also kind-hearted and caring towards those in her care, and the few people she’s willing to open her heart to. Her relationship with Claudia was genuinely touching, as were her interactions with 87-year-old Leo. Her budding friendship with Sylvie was mostly fun as well. I didn’t like Sebastian, but someone enters the story later who did win my heart! Ultimately, Clover’s character arc made my heart happy, and I can see why some compare her to Eleanor Oliphant.

Overall, it was a wonderful debut.  Some parts dragged just a little and a couple characters’ death scenes felt a bit unrealistic - I just don’t believe they’d have that kind of clarity in their dying moments to impart all those bits of advice to Clover, but that said, the thoughts were still touching and brought tears to my eyes!  I’ll definitely be watching for Brammer’s future books.

★★★★

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and author Mikki Brammer for this digital ARC to honestly review. It’s due to be published on May 9, 2023.