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A Novel
by Mikki Brammer
Book Reviewed by:Mikki Brammer's The Collected Regrets of Clover is a big-hearted and life-affirming debut about a death doula who, in caring for others at the end of their life, has forgotten how to live her own, for readers of The Midnight Library.
What's the point of giving someone a beautiful death if you can't give yourself a beautiful life?
From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit, Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. After the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover becomes a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process.
Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own, until the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a trip across the country to uncover a forgotten love story––and perhaps, her own happy ending. As she finds herself struggling to navigate the uncharted roads of romance and friendship, Clover is forced to examine what she really wants, and whether she'll have the courage to go after it.
Probing, clever, and hopeful, The Collected Regrets of Clover turns the normally taboo subject of death into a reason to celebrate life.
1
The first time I watched someone die, I was five.
Mr. Hyland, my kindergarten teacher, was a cheerful, tubby man whose shiny scalp and perfectly round face reminded me of the moon. One afternoon, my classmates and I sat cross-legged on the scratchy carpet in front of him, enthralled by his theatrical telling of Peter Rabbit. I remember how his meaty thighs spilled over the edges of the child-sized wooden chair he sat on. His cheeks were rosier than usual, but who could blame him for getting excited over a good Beatrix Potter plot?
As the story reached its climax—when Peter Rabbit lost his jacket fleeing the evil Mr. McGregor—Mr. Hyland stopped, as if pausing for emphasis. We stared up at him, hearts thumping with anticipation. But instead of resuming his narration, he made a sound similar to a hiccup, eyes bulging.
Then, like a felled redwood tree, he toppled to the ground.
We all sat motionless, wide-eyed, unsure if our beloved teacher was just upping the ante on ...
The pacing of the novel feels a little off; the road trip, which from the jacket description would appear to be a major element of the plot, isn't so much as floated until well over halfway through. Moreover, the complications it brings about are smoothed over too quickly. Still, it is touching to see Clover's gradual transformation as she agrees to things outside of her comfort zone. She starts off as an Eleanor Oliphant type of character but slowly gets in touch with her emotions as she opens herself to new experiences. Her New York City, as portrayed by Brammer, is a joyous place of dog parks and coffee shops and bookstores, and these small pleasures help counterbalance Clover's regret and sadness...continued
Full Review
(876 words)
(Reviewed by Rebecca Foster).
KJ Dell'Antonia, New York Times bestselling author of The Chicken Sisters
I couldn't put this book down. The Collected Regrets of Clover is a tender, charming delight, perfect for anyone who loved The Authenticity Project or Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. Ruth Hogan, Sunday Times bestselling author
What a beautiful story! I loved the premise, which was skillfully and sensitively executed. The characters are both memorable and relatable and the subject of death is handled with refreshing honesty and heartbreaking poignancy. This book will be one that I remember for a long time, and it's a story that we can all learn something from.The protagonist of Mikki Brammer's The Collected Regrets of Clover is a death doula. Just as a doula (or midwife) helps in childbirth, a death doula helps people who are approaching death. The profession has grown remarkably since 2000, when a New York City program co-funded by NYU Medical Center and the Shira Ruskay Center of the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services first paired volunteer doulas with patients. In 2003, again in NYC, social worker Henry Fersko-Weiss (author of Caring for the Dying) created the country's first hospice-based end-of-life doula program. In 2015, he co-founded the International End-of-Life Doula Association, which hosts online or in-person training sessions for doulas and hospice workers, as well as ...
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