The October pick for ‘The Book Taster Online Book Club‘ is ‘Tell Me How This Ends’ by Jo Leevers. This was not a book I had heard of, but it has been a BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick and the cover is beautiful, so I was intrigued to pick it up and get started.
I loved this book; I found it so difficult to put it down, and every evening I was desperate to settle down and carry on reading because I just had to know – well – how it was going to end. Henrietta and Annie are thrown together as Henrietta gets a job recording and writing people’s life stories, and she is given the task of helping Annie record her story. This experience blossoms into a friendship as they both (without realising it) support each other in coming to terms with their past, and some of the ghosts and mysteries that haunt them. Although the idea is that Henrietta is writing the stories of those who are aware that they are facing the end of their lives, this is not a sad story. In fact, it is a clear story of hope and friendship. Even in the toughest of times, there can be a light, as both characters are freed from those who have not allowed them to shine as they should.
I am not sure I can do this book justice without giving too much away. But I found it so engaging, and I was rooting for Annie and Henrietta throughout – just pleased that they had found friendship with each other. It is a friendship that crosses the generations and these are some of the best friendships in fiction. It reminded me a little of the friendship in ‘Lenny and Margot’, although the gap is not quite as large. And I considered the new friendship that was found again at the end of the book an absolute joy.
Please be aware that this book does tackle the subject of cancer and grief, but this is handled so beautifully and, throughout the book, you know that these characters have been able to bring so much to each others’ lives. But, if you are a fan of ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine‘ or ‘A Tidy Ending‘, I think you may enjoy this book, too.