Reviews with content warning for Cancer - A Quiet Life

A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella was the first book I read of Joella’s. It wasn’t on my radar until last week when I heard a bookish podcaster gush about it and describe it as a family and community story of contemporary fiction. I picked this book through my Book of the Month Subscription last year, but it has sat on the shelf since then. I loved this book and now plan to read Joella’s first book, A Little Hope, next.

The book follows Chuck, who recently lost his wife to cancer, Ella whose daughter has been taken by her ex-husband and not heard from in months, and Kirsten, who recently tragically lost her father and altered her career plans as they cope with their situations. We learn they are all connected in one way or another and we begin to explore how people find peace after loss and how people can move on and heal through these circumstances.

I am a sucker for these family books of contemporary fiction. Not to mention that both of Joella’s books have stunning covers. This book was well-written. It is driven mainly by character development, which I love. I would compare this book to books like Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro and Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout.

5 Stars

Content Warnings: Death, Cancer, Kidnapping, Trauma, Murder

Content Warnings

karyan1's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

astifelreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A Quiet Life ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

By Ethan Joella

“Maybe that is love. Maybe loving someone so deeply means accepting the fact that they occupy a specific, clear place in you. You accept that there will be a hole if you lose them - the same way a painting or a photograph will leave its shadow on the wall after it’s gone, the way a tree will leave a crater where the roots and stump were.”

Ethan Joella does it again. After reading his ‘A Little Hope’ this was going to be an instant buy. This book follows three different individuals dealing with grief in their lives. Chuck Ayer is an older gentleman who just lost his wife to cancer and deciding how to live his life without his wife. Ella Burke’s daughter is missing and she’s just trying to hold the pieces of her life together while waiting for news. Kirsten Bonato is a young woman trying to cope with the loss of her father. She’s working at an animal rescue and has given up her dreams of being a vet while dealing with the feeling of being lost without her dad.

“Happy New Year, he thinks, because he is lost, and he hopes he finds something this year that will stop the hurting.”

Ethan Joella captured grief so beautifully and authentically in this book. By the end it had me in tears as I connected with the characters and their ups and downs so much. Having lost my mom nearly a year ago I connected to the characters quite a lot. And while this book dealt with loss and grief there was also hope in it. It was a balm to my soul as I go through my own grieving process. I would recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick read with a hopeful ending.

“Be someone’s cardinal.”

Content Warnings