We All Want Impossible Things
The uplifting and moving Richard and Judy Book Club pick
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- 239,00 Kč
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- 239,00 Kč
Publisher Description
Discover the powerful Richard & Judy Book Club Pick, perfect for fans of Nora Ephron and Sorrow and Bliss
'Nora-Ephron-style wit...comforting, so funny, moving... one of my favourite books ever' MARIAN KEYES
'Newman writes loss and laughter in equally brilliant amounts.' BONNIE GARMUS
'Dazzling, heart-wrenching, snorty-hilarious... An utter joy to read' RACHEL JOYCE
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Who knows you better than your best friend? Who knows your secrets, your fears, your desires, your strange imperfect self?
Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years. Since childhood they have seen each other through life's milestones: stealing vodka from their parents, REM concerts, marriages, infertility, children. As Ash notes, 'Edi's memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.'
So when Edi is diagnosed with cancer, Ash's world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi's care, from making watermelon ice cubes and music therapy to snack smuggling and impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night.
Because life is about squeezing the joy out of every moment and building a powerhouse of memories, about learning when to hold on, and when to let go.
Deeply moving yet laugh-out-loud funny, We All Want Impossible Things is a jubilant celebration of life and friendship at its imperfect, radiant, and irreverent best.
COMING SOON: Look out for SANDWICH, the joyful new novel from Catherine Newman and the perfect summer read
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Praise for We All Want Impossible Things:
Full of humour, warmth and eye-popping honesty ... a beautiful, candid and uplifting testament to female friendship that will make you laugh and cry - WOMAN & HOME
This tale of love and friendship is tender, funny, life-affirming joy. - MARIE CLAIRE, 'Best Books of 2023'
We All Want Impossible Things is a thing of rare beauty: sweet and sharp, to be devoured, then remembered and loved life-long. – i
Devastatingly funny ... handled with compassion and courage in elegant prose lightened by honest humour. - MAIL ON SUNDAY
A treat - THE SUNDAY TIMES
Remarkable ... A whip-smart, funny, beautifully observed and exquisitely characterised novel about how even the deepest of losses can be accompanied by a joyous affirmation of life. - OBSERVER
Imbued with love and humour ... this special book is in a class of its own. - EVENING STANDARD
Newman's clearsighted and bracingly funny first novel is a moving celebration of friendship, love and cherished memories - DAILY MAIL
Utterly life-affirming and joyful – RED
'You'll stay up late devouring every word' KATHERINE HEINY
'One of the best novels on friendship I've ever read' AJ PEARCE
'An absolute masterpiece in characterisation... utterly beautiful.' JOANNA CANNON
'I absolutely adored this...what a beautiful, emotional novel' JILL MANSELL
'Shot through with whip-smart humour and boundless compassion. It's one of the best debuts I've read in a long time.' HANNAH BECKERMAN
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Newman's moving adult debut (after the kids' guide What Can I Say?) explores a lifelong friendship between two women, one of whom is dying. Set primarily in a hospice where Edi is dying of ovarian cancer, the story shifts between past and present to show the depth of Edi's lifelong bond with Ash—the childhood missteps, the joys, the Bowie concerts, and their "absolute dependability" for each other, as Ash puts it. When Edi receives her terminal prognosis, Ash becomes her primary bedside companion. But this isn't just a harrowing depiction of the heartbreak and indignity of Edi's decline, it's also about Ash, who stumbles through her disintegrating marriage, contends with her daughter's refusal to go to school, and takes a series of lovers. Ash also details the moments—at turns hilarious and sad—that make up her friendship, calling Edi's memories a "back-up hard drive" for her own. Here and throughout, Newman does a wonderful job channeling Ash's sense of impending loss. Ash also keeps up a steady stream of wickedly wry observations, such as her description of a group of children who visit Edi's bedside to play their recorders, "stand in a nervous semicircle, clutching their terrible instruments." Newman breathes ample life into this exquisite story of death and dying.
