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A review by claudiabelcin
Before I Go by Colleen Oakley
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This is a story about Daisy, with a diploma in psychology, married to Jack, a vet student. At 27, Daisy is cancer free for almost 4 years, but before her 4 year cancer free anniversary she finds out her cancer is back and it metastasized pretty much everywhere important (she's got "LOTS OF CANCER") and she's got months to live. So, very worried about her husband not being able to survive without her, because he lacks basic skills like cooking and omelette or making cereal without making a huge mess, she decides to go find him a new mom...I mean wife.
My thoughts at 20%:
I disliked the beginning when Daisy describes her relationship with Jack, trying to convince herself they were couple goals, telepathic and perfect for each other when more often than not Jack was absent, lazy and gaslighting her into doing chores because she's "better at this than him".
Maybe for other people Jack seems cute in his clumsiness, but I find him ignorant and I can't wrap my head around how he manages to make Daisy happy. As you can see, I don't like this guy, I hope this changes and I'll find the book more bearable.
My thoughts at 30%:
Daisy is depressed but keeps wanting to mother her boyfriend who eats cereal for dinner and she's so sad for him. Him making cereal also means that the kitchen is a complete mess. Bleah
Here a quote that pretty much sums up this whole book:
"If I die, who's going to pick up the socks?
If I die, who's going to scratch the itch just beneath Jack's shoulder blade?
When I die, who's going to caulk the windows and call the contractors and sweep the floors and pack the lunches and find the jeans and load the dishwasher and go to the store and make the bed and make sure that Jack doesn't eat goddamned cereal for every goddamned meal?
I bolt upright in bed, my ears ringing now with flat-out terror.
I have Lots of Cancer. I'm going to die. And then-then-what is going to happen to Jack?"
My thoughts at 40%:
Now I get why Daisy is acting so motherly towards Jack and it helps me connect a bit with her.
My thoughts at 60%:
If feels to me like Daisy and Jack are more roommates than married and in love; Jack seems to tolerate Daisy but he doesn't try hard enough to get as involved in her life as she's involved in his.
Jack managed to redeem himself a bit in the end, but I still didn't enjoy the book. I couldn't connect with the story or characters, I mostly felt annoyed with everything going on. The main idea of the book has potential, but in order for your husband to need a new wife he probably needs a good reason for that to happen, not simply because he's completely lazy and spoiled, my humble opinion. So you have 2 options here: you either focus on how useless this husband of hers is and you kinda hate the whole book, or you focus on how out of love for her husband and in the face of death, Daisy spends her last living days on earth trying to find him a new wife and maybe you could enjoy the book. Thank God she'd charged her mind about the new wife in the end.
I'd personally choose to spend my last days "on the Amalfi Coast and stuff my face with loads of authentic Italian pasta and wine".
My thoughts at 20%:
I disliked the beginning when Daisy describes her relationship with Jack, trying to convince herself they were couple goals, telepathic and perfect for each other when more often than not Jack was absent, lazy and gaslighting her into doing chores because she's "better at this than him".
Maybe for other people Jack seems cute in his clumsiness, but I find him ignorant and I can't wrap my head around how he manages to make Daisy happy. As you can see, I don't like this guy, I hope this changes and I'll find the book more bearable.
My thoughts at 30%:
Daisy is depressed but keeps wanting to mother her boyfriend who eats cereal for dinner and she's so sad for him. Him making cereal also means that the kitchen is a complete mess. Bleah
Here a quote that pretty much sums up this whole book:
"If I die, who's going to pick up the socks?
If I die, who's going to scratch the itch just beneath Jack's shoulder blade?
When I die, who's going to caulk the windows and call the contractors and sweep the floors and pack the lunches and find the jeans and load the dishwasher and go to the store and make the bed and make sure that Jack doesn't eat goddamned cereal for every goddamned meal?
I bolt upright in bed, my ears ringing now with flat-out terror.
I have Lots of Cancer. I'm going to die. And then-then-what is going to happen to Jack?"
My thoughts at 40%:
Now I get why Daisy is acting so motherly towards Jack and it helps me connect a bit with her.
My thoughts at 60%:
If feels to me like Daisy and Jack are more roommates than married and in love; Jack seems to tolerate Daisy but he doesn't try hard enough to get as involved in her life as she's involved in his.
Jack managed to redeem himself a bit in the end, but I still didn't enjoy the book. I couldn't connect with the story or characters, I mostly felt annoyed with everything going on. The main idea of the book has potential, but in order for your husband to need a new wife he probably needs a good reason for that to happen, not simply because he's completely lazy and spoiled, my humble opinion. So you have 2 options here: you either focus on how useless this husband of hers is and you kinda hate the whole book, or you focus on how out of love for her husband and in the face of death, Daisy spends her last living days on earth trying to find him a new wife and maybe you could enjoy the book. Thank God she'd charged her mind about the new wife in the end.
I'd personally choose to spend my last days "on the Amalfi Coast and stuff my face with loads of authentic Italian pasta and wine".