Title : The Dead Wife’s Handbook
Author : Hannah Beckerman
Publication date : 13 February 2014
Publisher : Penguin
Purchase eBook: Kindle
Purchase paper book: Amazon Book Depositry
Rating : 5 out of 5 LeeLee’s!
The Blurb –
‘Today is my death anniversary. A year ago today I was still alive.’
Rachel, Max and their daughter Ellie had the perfect life – until the night Rachel’s heart stopped beating.
Now Max and Ellie are doing their best to adapt to life without Rachel, and just as her family can’t forget her, Rachel can’t quite let go of them either. Caught in a place between worlds, Rachel watches helplessly as she begins to fade from their lives. And when Max is persuaded by family and friends to start dating again, Rachel starts to understand that dying was just the beginning of her problems.
As Rachel grieves for the life she’s lost and the life she’ll never lead, she learns that sometimes the thing that breaks your heart might be the very thing you hope for.
Hannah Beckerman gives an unforgettable exploration of love and loss in her first novel, The Dead Wife’s Handbook.
Praise for The Dead Wife’s Handbook:
‘Beautifully written and full of love’ Fern Britton
Hannah Beckerman is a former TV and film producer living in London. The Dead Wife’s Handbook is her first novel.
My Thoughts –
It was with an apprehensive and heavy heart that I chose to read this novel, the entire concept intrigued me however I felt it might ring a little too close to home for me to enjoy it without actually feeling a little miserable myself. This however wasn’t the case, I thoroughly enjoyed Hannah’s debut and this is what you can expect to find within the pages that lie under that truly stunning cover…
The Dead Wife’s Handbook follows the story of Rachel a wife and mother of one and is told from her perspective, the thing that sets this book apart from the rest is that Rachel is dead.
Following our protagonist in her world of perpetual limbo as she watches over her loved ones is an emotional roller-coaster; it’s been one year since that fateful evening when her heart suddenly stopped beating.
As Max and Ellie learn to deal with the loss of Rachel others around them are encouraging Max to move on with his life, get out more, have fun. Max thinks it’s too soon, and although he doesn’t know it, so does a Rachel.
The novel is split into sections based on the different stages of grief as Rachel experiences them, its interesting to think the deceased could also go through this and not just those they have left behind. Hannah Beckerman dealt with the issues surrounding the stages of grief so well from Rachel’s perspective; from her reaction to having somebody else take her place to the way seven-year-old Ellie copes without having her mother.
Its not all sad though! Following Max on a multitude of terrible first dates that even Rachel finds appalling adds a different dimension to the novel, he might be moving on without her but its not easy. Their are many parts to this book that had me laughing and cheering on Max in his venture to enjoy life again and made me realise how much we rely on those around us for our happiness.
One of my favourite characters was best friend Harriet who has stuck by Max and Ellie, although she encourages Max to start dating again when it finally starts to work out for him she isn’t impressed, how could he possibly start to love somebody after he married her best friend?! At this point I found myself thinking Hetty was a little selfish but aren’t we all at times?
Throughout the novel I was so invested in Rachel’s experiences and reactions to change I didn’t find myself crying at as many parts as I initially thought I would, that’s not to say I didn’t have my moments. The following quote from a conversation between characters Eve and Ellie was the moment The Dead Wife’s Handbook broke me.
‘Eve? You know how everyone says Christmas is the time of year when you’re supposed to be most happy? Well, the thing is, sometimes I’m not. Sometimes it’s when I’m most sad.’
Christmas had always been mine and my mums favourite time of year. Nobody else was ever interested in decorating or singing Christmas songs for weeks while watching the same films every year like we were, it was just the two of us. True to Ellie’s words it really can be the time of year that some people are feeling most sad. I can only imagine how hard it would be to lose your mother at such a young age and Ellie deals with everything so well, one of the things that has always amazed me about children is their ability to move on and not over think things.
The element of this story that stood out for myself was the idea that those we love could witness things and share them with us, its not necessarily a reality but the idea of my mum having seen me on my 21st birthday or having watched me graduate from university is one I would certainly like to hold onto.
This is a novel that really delves into the real life issues that occur when you lose somebody who is close to you and seeing it from the perspective of the other side is astounding, no amount of research can put you directly into that characters mind. Hannah has achieved this so well within her writing you’d think she had been to this place with Rachel and asked her what she was feeling!
Their isn’t always a warning bell to let you know your time is going to be up in the next few weeks, months or years, it can happen any time, anywhere. For some it’s fast, sudden, and unexpected. The question is how would you handle it?
Verdict –
The Dead Wife’s Handbook is a truly thought provoking and compelling read, a book so powerful it has the ability to leave its readers questioning their own life and legacy.
Many books are described by critics as “Life changing” and “Life Affirming” yet they rarely live up to this, The Dead Wife’s handbook is the first time I can say a book really does meet this expectation, something so strong and powerful with the ability to change your entire outlook on life.
I couldn’t put this book down, if you’re looking for a something that is funny, romantic, serious and emotionally charged then this is for you. It might make you cry but it will most certainly make you smile!
