The a to Z of You and Me

March 14, 2016
Hannah’s debut is a humor-filled tear-at-the-heartstrings story. After taking his body and health for granted, middle-aged diabetic Ivo is suffering kidney failure. Hoping his death will be as unburdensome as possible, Ivo withdraws from friends and family, especially his sister, Laura, and arranges for hospice care, planning for a quiet end. But his enigmatic hospice nurse, Sheila, has other plans. Tasking Ivo with playing the A to Z game—thinking of one body part and a story that goes along with it—Sheila dramatically alters the little lifetime Ivo has left. From Adam’s apple to tear ducts to voice, playing the game leads Ivo to remember all of the memories that changed him forever, good or bad, especially those of Mia, the love of his life. The movement between the present day and a multitude of moments in the past makes it hard for the reader to acclimate, which lessens the connection to some secondary characters. Regardless, the urge to hug and simultaneously shake Ivo for the poor decisions he makes, and for the way he learns, loves, and forgives make this expertly crafted story a winner. Agent: Susan Armstrong, Conville & Walsh.

April 1, 2016

Forty-year-old Ivo should be leading a normal, enjoyable life, but he's in hospice with kidney failure and other complications stemming from advanced diabetes. Not so long ago, Ivo had friends, was in love, and could think of nothing beyond the next evening's round of pubs and partying. Despite the urgings of the love of his life, he disregarded the need for his insulin and was easily egged on by friends to try the latest in drugs and alcohol. Then suddenly it's all gone. His love is dead, his sister estranged, his friends scattered, and Ivo only has his spunky nurse Sheila to give him focus. She coerces him into a game of listing his body parts alphabetically and relating each to a memory. Unflinchingly, Ivo recalls his youth, the death of his parents, the joy of his love, and the mistakes for which he has only himself to blame. This addition to the current genre of sentimental retrospective novels serves again to remind us that life is not a rehearsal, and gathering the pieces of a misspent youth can be tough and painful. VERDICT Ivo's tale may resonate with readers of Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, but feelings of tenderness and sympathy toward Hannah's protagonist may be a stretch. Still, this debut novel rings with an unsparing clarity and ultimate honesty.--Susan Clifford Braun, Bainbridge Island, WA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.