The A to Z of You and Me – James Hannah – Genre – Contemporary
Blurb: Ivo has all kinds of everyday joy in his life – he’s young, he’s in love, he has friends who promise to stand by him if life ever goes wrong. Then one day, life does go wrong. He makes a mistake, and it’s big and unforgiveable. Now time is running out and his life is falling apart. But he’s going to put it together again. His own way.
This is a story about how far love must stretch to gather a life in pieces. And how strong friendship never dies.
I’m lying here in a bed, my head full of regret, with only a little bird flitting through a tree to comfort me. Friends want to visit, but I refuse them. So my carer Sheila has given me a task to keep me occupied. An A-Z list. Think of a part of my body for each letter. Tell a little tale about it. When I reach H for Heart, what will I say? How we loved to string crocheted hearts in trees? How our hearts steadily unravelled? So I begin with A. Adam’s apple. Will you be there to catch me when I fall?
My Review: This storyline is cleverly original, as we met the narrator in a hospice and learn about his life through a game his nurse tells him to play… reliving his past through the alphabet. This is a sad and thought provoking read and I did shed a tear or two at the end. I highly recommend this book and will keep an eye out for more from this author.
About the Author: James Hannah’s first novel, ‘The A to Z of You and Me’, was published by Doubleday in March 2015, and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize for debut fiction.
