This Kindle single is an intensely personal story of death and loss. The writer’s father is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the book deals with him coming to terms with this and also his expectations of what the loss will be like.
Allnutt discusses how attitudes towards death have changed as has the idea of what a “good death” is like. He talks about how we’ve started to expect profound, meaningful conversation as part of the process. This expectation weighs heavily and slightly sours the time they have, with Allnutt uncomfortable trying to engage and his father’s condition eventually robbing him of the ability to have that kind of talk.
It’s extremely honest and open about the whole process and Allnutt doesn’t shy away from times when he is self centred or feels left out.
All in all it reads well and raises an important point that we need to embrace and experience events, and not worry they don’t fit how we expect or think they should be.
Emotionally powerful and an interesting read. It’s rather short though and Allnutt has a tendency to use a lot of sources about philosophies surrounding death. It perhaps would be more powerful if it remained focused on Allnutt’s experience.
7/10.
Any thoughts? You know what to do. BETEO.
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