A review by vagrantheather
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

After losing both parents in an accident and witnessing the sudden death of a teacher, Clover's morbid fascination with death has her pegged as a bit of a weird kid. Rejected by her peers, she builds walls to protect her emotions. Twenty years later she has a thriving career as a death doula and is perfectly fine, if lonely, thank you very much. A series of events lands her working with the elderly Claudia, and the circumstances around finding her closure highlight for Clover how much she has excluded from her own life.

This is such a lovely story. I had never heard of death doulas or death cafés. I loved Clover and identified with her a lot. The romance was well done. The friendship building felt natural. All in all, a rather hopeful discussion around death and the celebration of life, packaged in a delightful read.

I did notice that the author structured a lot of sentences, "As I (whatever), I (whatevered)," which I found inelegant.
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