A review by karteabooks
A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe

emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

What an amazing debut! This book was so wonderfully and compassionately written that I did have to check that it was her first book! There were so many difficult issues and life experiences that the different characters went through, and the author wrote this all so considerately and empathically that at times I had to remind myself that this was a book. 

The start of the book left me in tears as the story of William Lavery, a 19-year-old newly qualified embalmer volunteered to help at the Aberfan disaster, and the effect that this then had on him. That this one act of kindness was the catalyst for his world as he knew it, or thought he knew it, to completely change. 

The narrative switches almost seamlessly between the different parts of William’s life and builds the back story and helps us to understand William and how his upbringing by a controlling mother and with his ‘Uncles’ and their special relationship, which didn’t conform to 1960’s attitudes towards sexuality had affected him, the decisions he had to make and the outcome from all of this. 

I highly recommend this book, as I mentioned above it is so brilliantly written, with fantastic setting descriptions, but is has also been so very well researched from embalming techniques, medical terminology, choral works, choirs and family life amid the 1950's and the 1960's and with this amount of detail this all adds to the overall feel of the book. This book deals with so many different topics, kindness, sexuality, friendships and relationships. Yes, at times it was hard to read, and I did find myself reaching for the tissues on more than one occasion, but I think that is what makes this book so very special, is that it hasn’t shied away from the difficult subjects, instead it has faced them head on and made us all realise that life isn’t always an easy ride. 

I was lucky enough to receive an early proof of this book from @tandemcollectiveuk and @faberbooks and I felt truly privileged to be an early reader. 

This is published on the 20th January, and if you haven’t already, go and pre-order it now!