Before I Go

September 8, 2014
Oakley’s touching debut novel follows Daisy Richmond, who beats breast cancer at age 23, marries her college sweetheart, Jack, applies to grad school, and generally moves on with her life until shortly before her four year “cancerversary” when she learns that the cancer’s back. This time it’s untreatable—her doctor estimates she has no more than six months to live. While Daisy once found it fun to imagine all the trips she’d take if she knew her time was up, she’s now more worried about what will happen to Jack after she’s gone—who will put his dirty socks in the hamper, arrange repairs on their fixer-upper, and make sure he eats something other than cereal. With help from her best friend, Kayleigh, Daisy begins searching for a new wife for Jack. But after scoping out dog parks, coffee bars, and dating sites, Daisy is woefully unprepared for how she feels once she actually finds a seemingly perfect woman for him and the two appear to hit it off. The story moves forward in the expected direction—even the twist at the end is not a shocker—but Oakley expertly tugs at the heartstrings with well-rounded characters and a liberal dose of gallows humor.

October 1, 2014
Having survived breast cancer when she was 23, Daisy Richmond is shocked to discover, a few years later, that the disease has returned. This time, she has Lots of Cancer and just a few months to live. She decides to devote those months to finding a new wife for her husband, Jack, who is about to graduate from veterinary school. With the help of her best friend, Kayleigh, a kindergarten teacher, Daisy scouts coffee shops and bookstores, then decides to take her search online. When the perfect match turns out to be Pamela, who is the principal of Kayleigh's school and also, it turns out, Jack's fellow volunteer at the animal shelter, Daisy has to deal with jealousy over what appears to be a growing attachment. She also has to acknowledge that she has been pushing Jack away. Though a plot summary makes the novel sound like a strange amalgam of cancer story and rom-com, Oakley has produced an affecting work that, while avoiding maudlin sentimentality, makes the reader care about Daisy and her determination to live while dying.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)