Fabulous Fiction Firsts #166

Thu, 06/18/2009 - 5:52pm by muffy

Former Publishers Weekly editor Emily Chenoweth's luminous debut Hello Goodbye* is perhaps one of my favorites this season. It is "deeply moving and yet unsentimental... beautifully crafted, intimate and sweet, funny and intelligent".

During one week in August, the Hansen family returns to vacation at a historic resort in the White Mountains. Helen, who is at her last stage of a terminal illness is there to say goodbye to a lifetime of friends, while husband Elliott relishes a respite from his care-taking duties. College-aged Abby has yet to come to terms with grief and loss as she teeters at the bright cusp of adulthood.

Hello is lyrical and poetic. It manages to be heartbreaking and life-affirming at the same time. It will resonate with you long after the last page is turned. A worthy contender for the tearjerker award.

* = starred reviews