Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Avid Reader Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this amazing debut novel by Ben Reeves. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!
Travis is Death in the modern world. He doesn't look like the Grim Reaper; instead, he's young and handsome, wears jeans and a T-shirt and lives in a small town. He's a watcher whose job is to offer people comfort in their final hours of life. He remembers each death he witnesses. Then he meets the neighbors across the hall - single mother, Dalia and her young daughters - and he loses some of his detachment.
Oh my goodness, this book. I sincerely hope that readers don’t pass this book by because it is sad. It is sad and a reminder that death will come for all. But it's such a beautiful look into ordinary lives and what's meaningful at the end. Of course it's a reminder to appreciate life while we have the privilege to have it, but it's so uniquely written as to go beyond those platitudes. In between the main story of Travis's burgeoning feelings for Dalia and her family, we get little glimpses into some of the deaths that he witnesses. It's also interesting that Dalia is a midwife, bringing new life into the world as Travis shepherds them home. These stories are indeed sad and yet so comforting to those who grieve, reminding us that life is all the more precious because it is not forever. I'm hoping that we all have a Travis to be with us as we begin life after this one. A remarkable debut that I'll be thinking about for a long time. Highly recommended.
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