librarypoweruser's review
5.0
Through eight interlocking short stories, Toni Graham unveis the myriad effects of a loved one's suicide. "The Suicide Club" is a tongue-in-cheek name that several support group members have adopted to describe their weekly meetings. Though the meetings themselves, and the relationships created therein, create a hub for the collection, Graham uses each piece to zoom away from the group and investigate the lives of individuals.
The breadth of loss in this little book is vast and impactful. The ghosts of children, lovers, spouses and parents hover in the margins, generating a forlorn sense of watchfulness. (In the final story, a coping mother apologizes aloud to her dead son for her actions throughout the day, asks him not to watch.) Moments of humor and (brief) hopefulness are certainly present, but the most powerful tone is that of blunt realism. (A character finds new sneakers in her closet, purchased by her fiancee days before his suicide.) The author's sharp details create intense contrast with the characters' varying stages of depression and mourning.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this fantastic collection.*
The breadth of loss in this little book is vast and impactful. The ghosts of children, lovers, spouses and parents hover in the margins, generating a forlorn sense of watchfulness. (In the final story, a coping mother apologizes aloud to her dead son for her actions throughout the day, asks him not to watch.) Moments of humor and (brief) hopefulness are certainly present, but the most powerful tone is that of blunt realism. (A character finds new sneakers in her closet, purchased by her fiancee days before his suicide.) The author's sharp details create intense contrast with the characters' varying stages of depression and mourning.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this fantastic collection.*
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