This Is Where We Say Goodbye by Howard McKenzie-Murray is an emotional read. It is an engaging story of grief, family dynamics, and memories, and of how we try to hold everything together when everything is falling apart.
Maud Tarkington narrates her story over a twenty-four-hour period.
It starts as she hides out at a local laundromat on the eve of her 21st birthday. She needed a place free from distractions, to get away from everyone, so she could write a letter to her brother Lloyd. To say everything she needed to say and be able to move on with her life. However, her words wouldn’t come.
Maud’s world has been shattered by the death of her favourite brother. Desperately trying to understand why he has gone, she spends the hours prior to his funeral avoiding family and rushing around Perth looking for connections.
The story has a lot of quirky humour as Maud tells us of the past, and we rush around with her in the present. All the support characters are perfect. Maud’s friends, family and especially Lloyd’s friend Jake, all add different dimensions to the story.
As Maud shares the letters with us, we also get to know Lloyd.
It is easy to relate to her as a main character, feeling both sympathy and empathy for her. Maud’s sadness and desperation compel you to keep reading as she struggles to make sense of life events.
The book was an excellent read. You keep turning the pages, wanting to know more about Maud. Will she find unexpected strengths to get her through these very tough twenty-four hours? And, will she even make it to the funeral?
The book is Howard McKenzie-Murray’s first novel and has been deservedly listed for the Hungerford Award. Four and a half stars.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading This Is Where We Say Goodbye by Howard McKenzie-Murray. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
This is Where We Say Goodbye.
Many thanks to Beauty and Lace and Fremantle Press for my copy of this book by Howard McKenzie-Murray to read and review.
Maud Tarkington lost her brother suddenly and this book covers just how she deals with her grief.
She is turning 21 and is so lost that she spends her birthday alone in a laundromat.
She can’t face her friends or her family at this time.
This book is different to what I expected. I really liked Maud as a character, she was unique and quirky. Although about grief it actually had some funny moments in it that gave me a chuckle. It was well written and easy to read.
For a Debut novel it was very good and was shortlisted for The Hungerford Award. I look forward to Howard’s next novel.
Maud Tarkington has just turned 21 and now must attend her Brothers funeral. They say her brother, Lloyd jumped from a bridge. Why would he do such a thing?
This story takes us along with Maud for 24hours as she prepares to attend the funeral. The story is told from Maud’s point of view and its just like the reader is inside her head with all the crazy mixed up thoughts that are running around her brain.
This is a rather quirky story that I found quite fun to read.
Thanks Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Howard McKenzie-Murray’s debut novel This is Where We Say Goodbye.
Maud has just turned 21 and her favourite brother has passed away — she journeys around Perth in the 24 hours leading up to his funeral looking for something or someone to relate to. Time is marching on and will she even make it to the funeral.
Maud is struggling to hold everything together and I really enjoyed her quirky character.
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Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read and review This is Where we Say Goodbye by Howard McKenzie-Murray.
What an unusual read, not what I was expecting at all, it was sad to think that Maud at 21 would be saying goodbye to her brother. the book runs over a 24 hour period of all the emotions of a young girl about to say the final goodbye to someone she loved the turmoil and how her brother now gone will leave a huge emptiness in her. The need to find connections and write the last goodbye letter. very sad but also relatable for anyone who has lost someone very close to them.
A good book and would recommend as a weekend on the couch read just so you can keep reading until the end.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read This is where we say goodbye by Howard McKenzie-Murray.
Maud is a frustrating character, I can understand a person wanting to avoid going to the funeral of their brother but she stretches it out a fair bit so then you just want to slap her so she relies she needs to get her head together and get to the funeral.
Even though you are panicking that Maud won’t get to the funeral on time, you get interested in the characters she meets along the way.
Definitely a different read.
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Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Howard McKenzie-Murray’s “This is where we say goodbye” which has been short listed for the Hungerford Award.
The story features Maud who has just lost her brother Lloyd. It is her 21st birthday and she is writing a letter to Lloyd. She’s remembering all the good times and is wondering how she’ll go on or even make it to the funeral.
This is a very emotional story with some humorous parts.