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A review by saarahnina
I Liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi
5.0
Very clever
This story begins with Madeline's perspective: she's deceased, dead, she committed suicide. She's survived by her husband, Brady and, her daughter, Eve. Like them, I wanted to know what compelled her to jump off the ledge? I just couldn't understand her death, the reasons behind her choice to end her life. On the surface, she has it all: a daughter she couldn't possibly love more and, a successful, kind, husband- Brady. Within the first pages we get the idea that Madeline has passed away, but we don't learn 'how'. Though when we do find out it was suicide, I was really pleased to find Brady didn't kill his wife- he was a really good character.
And, this is what the rest of the book sort of stresses to the reader: that everyone is in some ways responsible. Or at least, that's what Madeline's family take from her death. And because of their guilt, Madeline takes it upon herself to help her family move on and, forgive themselves. For Brady, Madeline tries to find someone he could get romantically involved with. A difficult and heart wrenching thing, as you can imagine, for a woman who is still very much in love with her husband. For Eve, she finds a way for her daughter to stop blaming herself and seek support from those who care for her.
Through her intervention, Madeline witnesses, first-hand, how much her daughter has matured, and how much her husband has tackled his faults or learned from his past mistakes. She witnesses the growth of a father-daughter relationship, but their 'habit' of both father and daughter in putting blame on one another, or not being able to sit and talk: the tension palpable. But then, we see them reaxh an understanding- the basis for any relationship. A relationship, that was non-existent when Madeline had been alive; we see their relief, the sense that all has fallen into place, that comes with the unforeseen revelation at the end. Madeline was a very intelligent woman, her craftiness was a testament to that. I won't say anything more on the matter, so as not to spoil the story for you. I will also say the title is finally explained, it all adds up. A very satisfying end. It is a very good book, in some ways it reminded me of The Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley.
It was incredibly well written, and I was very immersed in the story. I was also pretty impressed by how the characters were developed so well: as readers, we witness both Brady and Eve's strengths during such a devastating situation and, their shortcomings too. I love this book.
I received this book through NetGalley.
This story begins with Madeline's perspective: she's deceased, dead, she committed suicide. She's survived by her husband, Brady and, her daughter, Eve. Like them, I wanted to know what compelled her to jump off the ledge? I just couldn't understand her death, the reasons behind her choice to end her life. On the surface, she has it all: a daughter she couldn't possibly love more and, a successful, kind, husband- Brady. Within the first pages we get the idea that Madeline has passed away, but we don't learn 'how'. Though when we do find out it was suicide, I was really pleased to find Brady didn't kill his wife- he was a really good character.
And, this is what the rest of the book sort of stresses to the reader: that everyone is in some ways responsible. Or at least, that's what Madeline's family take from her death. And because of their guilt, Madeline takes it upon herself to help her family move on and, forgive themselves. For Brady, Madeline tries to find someone he could get romantically involved with. A difficult and heart wrenching thing, as you can imagine, for a woman who is still very much in love with her husband. For Eve, she finds a way for her daughter to stop blaming herself and seek support from those who care for her.
Through her intervention, Madeline witnesses, first-hand, how much her daughter has matured, and how much her husband has tackled his faults or learned from his past mistakes. She witnesses the growth of a father-daughter relationship, but their 'habit' of both father and daughter in putting blame on one another, or not being able to sit and talk: the tension palpable. But then, we see them reaxh an understanding- the basis for any relationship. A relationship, that was non-existent when Madeline had been alive; we see their relief, the sense that all has fallen into place, that comes with the unforeseen revelation at the end. Madeline was a very intelligent woman, her craftiness was a testament to that. I won't say anything more on the matter, so as not to spoil the story for you. I will also say the title is finally explained, it all adds up. A very satisfying end. It is a very good book, in some ways it reminded me of The Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley.
It was incredibly well written, and I was very immersed in the story. I was also pretty impressed by how the characters were developed so well: as readers, we witness both Brady and Eve's strengths during such a devastating situation and, their shortcomings too. I love this book.
I received this book through NetGalley.