Mystery

I think this is likely a great book, but I couldn't finish the audiobook - the topic caused me anxiety which I don't need right now. A sick child and the stress on a marriage as a result.

I can see why the blurb says this is a book that fans of Jodi Picoult will enjoy. ( )

Beautifully written and quite a tear-jerker. Told from three perspectives. What do you do when your child is catastrophically sick and there may not be reasonable hope of recovery? When the government (NHS) steps in to decide whether further treatment is warranted or Pip and Max’s child can be flown to America for an experimental procedure that may prolong his life, it drives a wedge into their marriage. Dylan is not yet three, but has gone through surgery and six rounds of chemo for a brain tumor that have caused lasting brain damage.

Paralyzed from the neck down, on a constant cocktail of pain meds, unable to communicate, perform bodily functions or breathe on his own, now the tumor is back… and what happens when one parent believes he should be allowed to go into hospice, and the other wants to put him through more rounds of treatment?

I’ll be honest… this was a tough read in places. I really enjoyed the author’s writing, but be warned… have a warm cup of cocoa, cookies, a cat in your lap, and a rom-com waiting on Netflix to decompress afterwards. Told in two “choose your own adventure” type timelines, we see the what-if scenarios. One where what would have happened had Dylan gotten the treatment played out, the other where time advanced had he not. It progresses past the point of Dylan’s treatment, following the effects on the marriage of Pip and Max (again, zero bright spots in this one, though I have to commend the author on how well researched and realistic this is). It was a tough read, but I ate up every bit of it for the skill and execution of the writing.

Trigger Warnings: cancer, death of child, infidelity, loss of marriage, grief, depression

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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This book is a little different to what I've read by this author before. This story follows Max and Pip and there son Dylan. Dylan is in hospital really poorly. When the couple are advised that the really isn't much more that can be done it divides the couple, so much infact the decision of Dylan's future has to be decided by a judge.

The first half of this book was brilliant. The story covers so many issues and does make you think. I don't know what I could decide myself in the situation. Do you go with your heart and give your child a chance against so many odds, or do you go with the science. This first part was so compelling and really does pull on the heart strings.

Part two is something unexpected. The author gives the story two endings. What happens to the family when the judge says he agrees with the trust and then what happened when the judge agrees it is best if Dylan dies. This part was told in alternate chapters. I didn't enjoy this so much. The book for me would have been better with just the one scenario.

Overall I liked the book especially the first part but the second part for me didn't work. ( )

This book started off well enough, but about half way through the novel, the story diverged into a bizarre take of two different story lines. I almost stopped reading. ( )