Review: The Art of Saying Goodbye by Ellyn Bache

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (June 7, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0062033689
• Source: Publisher

The women of Brightwood Trace are all vastly different, yet despite these differences they have quite the close friendship.  When Paisley, their “leader” becomes ill, they are each forced to deal with the reality of what their life will be like when she is gone.

Julianne, a nurse, has a unique ability to uncover illnesses in her patients.  She was the one who suspected something was wrong, detecting the illness in Paisley.

Andrea has a strong shell, but it’s really just a guise for the weak core beneath.

Ginger has always been a stay-at-home mother; she is now torn between staying at home with her children or pursuing her long-buried career aspirations.

Iona is the oldest member of the group. A strong, no-nonsense woman, she was always sort of the outcast of the group.

When Paisley falls ill, each of these women have a different way of dealing will her illness. It’s hard to see such a strong woman so weak.  They all do what’s typical to do what it’s expected to do when someone is ill; they bring endless amounts of food.  But they don’t do what Paisley really wants or needs.  They don’t visit, they don’t sit down and talk to her.  Not all of them, at least.

Rather than become despondent due to her illness, Paisley becomes hopeful; hopeful for the people her closest friends an become should they put the effort into it.  She had some of the best advice for her friends when faced with a challenge:

“You’re always amazed what you’re capable of.  You swallow the lump in your throat, bite back the heart-pounding fear of discovery.  If the rush of blood in your ears makes it impossible to hear what you’re saying, you talk all the same. You smile and more forward. You don’t retreat.”

The Art of Saying Goodbye is not a dark, depressing tale of death, it’s an uplifting story of hope.  Paisley didn’t always live her life the way she wanted, so now she hopes her friends will live the life she never led.

Bache did an outstanding job of developing and portraying the characters in The Art of Saying Goodbye. Within the first several chapters, I felt as though they were people I knew, friendships I had.

The characters each get a voice through alternating chapters. This allows the reader to really experience each of the women first-hand, getting honest and accurate access to their true feelings.

The emotions her writing elicits are strong; I went from laughing to yelling to sobbing.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a sad book but by the end I felt almost rejuvenated, my heart warm.

This is a book that should be discussed among friends.  We all know people like the characters in this book, facing the challenges they face.  A perfect book club selection, not light, not heavy, but full of discussion-worthy topics. Highly recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to participate in this tour.  Please be sure to check out the other stops:

Tuesday, June 14th: Reviews from the Heart
Monday, June 20th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Wednesday, June 22nd: Bookstack
Monday, June 27th: StephTheBookworm
Tuesday, June 28th: I’m Booking It
Wednesday, June 29th: Crazy for Books
Tuesday, July 5th: A Cozy Reader’s Corner
Wednesday, July 6th: 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews