THE LANGUAGE OF DYING by Sarah Pinborough

Tonight is a special terrible night.

A woman sits at her father's bedside, watching the clock tick away the last hours of his life. Her brothers and sisters - all broken, their bonds fragile - have been there for the past week, but now she is alone.

And that's when it always comes.

The clock ticks, the darkness beckons.

If it comes at all.

I'm a big fan of Sarah Pinborough's writing. She certainly has a way with words and knows how to spin an addictive tale so well the reader gets pulled into the thick of things and can't stop until the very last word.

I was very excited about reading this one, and thanks to Hachette Australia, I did. :)

When the father she's caring for is so close to death that it feels like a dark shadow consuming the house, she knows she has to call her siblings. They deserve the chance to say their goodbyes and see their formerly robust father one last time. But inviting them back into their family home also rouses a lot of memories.

Some memories are good and somewhat coloured by the innocence of childhood. Others are peppered with pain. And most hold some sort of sadness. But she relives everything one last time, knowing that their father's death might also be the end of their family...

Wow. This book is dark. Heartbreaking. Emotionally beautiful. Uncomfortable. And so very raw.

The narrator's struggle is so vivid that by the end, I felt like I'd always known her. For a book so enriched in sorrow and grief, it sure is wonderful. Because beneath the darkest of thoughts, the many tragic actions, and the heavy bereavement, is a thread of magic. A little magical promise that no matter how strange and dangerous and bleak everything might seem, a sliver of hope is also possible.

The Language of Dying is a very powerful story about family, memories and what life does to people. Sarah Pinborough took a very sad and awful subject and turned it into an unforgettable experience. Every single word in this novella is vital and brings the reader closer to the inevitable, whimsical conclusion.

BTW, this hardback edition is very nice.

As expected, I thoroughly enjoyed another one of this author's books.

*looks for more titles to read*

The Language of Dying, February 2017, ISBN 9781782067542, Jo Fletcher Books