I’ll Leave You Like This is a moving and thought provoking novel from Kylie Ladd exploring grief, family, and the complex bonds of sisterhood.

Over lunch on the third anniversary of Daniel O’Shea’s shocking and untimely death, Clare announces to her sisters that she plans to seek out the recipients of their brother’s donated organs. For Clare, for whom loss has become all too common, it’s a way to affirm Daniel’s life, and perhaps her own. Eldest sister Allison thinks Clare’s mission is morbid and is impatient with the whole idea, as she is with most things. Bridie is indifferent until, ‘in between’ film projects, she see’s its potential as an award winning documentary. Emma, the youngest of the siblings, is happy to offer Clare her support, but only Joel, Daniel’s former lover, is truly enthusiastic about the project.

A novel driven by character and theme rather than plot, I’ll Leave You Like This unfolds from the alternating perspectives of each of the four sisters.

I enjoyed getting to know the sisters, who are well rounded and relatable characters. Ladd has created distinct personalities for each woman, who have quite disparate temperaments and lifestyles. Each is affected differently by their grief not only related Daniel’s death, but also the loss of their parents in quick succession some years before. The sisters also struggle with their own issues, among them infertility, self harm, stress, and loss of confidence, and feel unable to turn to each other for support. Their dynamic feels authentic, and is rendered with insight into the sometimes complicated bonds of siblings.

As a registered donor myself, I personally strongly feel that organ donation is a wonderful legacy. Clare’s mission allows Ladd to explore some interesting questions not only about what it means to the recipients, but also to the relatives of the donor. I certainly empathise with Clare’s desire to connect with the people who carry a part of her brother, but I also understand why recipients may be uncomfortable with any contact.

Written with warmth, wit and compassion, I’ll Leave You With This is an emotive family drama.… (meer)

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shelleyraec | 1 andere bespreking | May 9, 2023 |

I'll Leave You With This door Kylie Ladd

I'm reading some rather heavy-duty NF books at the moment, so I was in the mood to read something less demanding. As you know from my recent post about a local author event (Kylie Ladd in conversation with Bayside author Sally Hepworth), I had read the Prologue to I'll Leave You with This almost as soon as I got home. It's a compelling introduction to the issue explored in this thoughtful novel: organ donation, and how families handle its complexities.

Sometimes, grief about the loss of a family member is about the only thing families have in common. Of a family of five siblings, four sisters remain to grieve the loss of their brother Daniel who was shot and killed on the streets of Sydney. At the time they willingly agree to donating his organs, but on the third anniversary of his death, Clare conceives the idea of tracking down the recipients.

(Which, as you probably know, is not encouraged and there are protocols in place to prevent unwanted contact.)

Told from the perspective of each of the four sisters at different times in their lives, I'll Leave You with This explores multiple issues: childlessness and the pressures of IVF; bullying and its long-term effects including self-harm; the conflict between parenting and work; women held captive by the roles expected of them; the gulf between religious rhetoric and pastoral care; and the loss of parents as the glue that holds a family together. Plus, there's the problem of legacy pets. Who is going to give Daniel's dachshund a forever home? He's been shunted around from one sister to another ever since Daniel died...

(Emma is appalled when Bridie turns up to offload him while she takes a holiday, and she learns how Bridie has treated him.

'And honestly, Emma,' she goes on, 'I don't think John Thomas would cope in a shelter. He needs to be with me all the time. Or Tom, or someone. He's like a bloody ghost. Every time I turn around he's there. Often I don't even get to turn around — I trip over him, because he's wrapped himself around my ankles. So I tried shutting him in the laundry for a bit and then he chewed off all the skirting boards.'

'You locked him up?' Emma is horrified.

'He'd had a walk, a long one, and his breakfast,' Bridie replies defensively. 'I just wanted to get some stuff done without his eyes following me around like one of those portraits in a horror movie. He's so needy.'

Emma snorts. Bridie doesn't do needy. Bridie can conjure an entire movie from a script and some actors, but she won't take responsibility for a house plant. She has staff for that. (p.147)

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/03/13/ill-leave-you-with-this-2023-by-kylie-ladd/

… (meer)

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anzlitlovers | 1 andere bespreking | Mar 12, 2023 |

Into My Arms

Very readable with a startling twist/reveal. It's set in Australia although there are few references to place.

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Teresa1966 | 2 andere besprekingen | Dec 22, 2020 |

Last Summer

This was really hard on the emotions and I’d say if you were going through the mill s bit right now, it might be an idea to put this one aside for a read later, when you were ready.

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Vividrogers | 4 andere besprekingen | Dec 20, 2020 |

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