St. Martin’s Press, Aug. 4, 2015.
Four Stars
The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is a story that most people can relate to, unfortunately. Rabbit Hayes, a woman with an essentially normal life and a loving family, has cancer and only days left to live. The novel opens with Rabbit’s mother, Molly, driving her daughter to the hospice where she will spend her final days – and nine days later, the book ends with Rabbit’s death (sorry for the spoiler but it’s right there in the title). It seems like Rabbit’s story would be a bleak read, but in fact it is a celebration of life, and all of the love she has experienced.
With dark Irish wit, McPartlin gives us snapshots of Rabbit’s life, from childhood to her final moments. The perspective shifts to various family members, alternating with Rabbit’s reminiscences of her first love, Johnny, who also faced tragedy in his young life. The various points of view give us a genuine and honest picture of the reality of being present for the end of a loved one’s life, difficult as it is. It is a pendulum between grief and hope, with captivating emotions from the whole family.
Rabbit and her family speak with vivid, believable voices – it is the darkly funny story of an oddball family filled with great love. Rabbit is filtered through the lens of her family, as well as through her dreams of Johnny, who offers hope for Rabbit, as she once did for him. The novel explores each family member’s relationship with Rabbit, but also the new relationships that have opened up between them with the loss of Rabbit. The survivors must carry on without her, filling in the space she has left behind.
This novel was tough to read – I definitely don’t recommend reading in public! – but also cathartic, as the author explores the minutiae of everyday life, magnified in the face of death. It inspires laughter and tears all at once, yet I didn’t feel like McPartlin was trying to manipulate the reader’s emotions – she doesn’t just pull heartstrings, she cuts them to pieces. There are no surprises in the end, but there is room for hope – it is the uplifting story of a life well-lived. Life is unfair, but the love and beauty of experience is worth the heartbreak.
I received this book for free from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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