The A to Z of You and Me

by James Hannah

[Leah]

Despite having loved the Chick Lit world for years now, I’ve found myself taking a back seat to it recently. It just isn’t my scene as much as it used to be – I prefer Young Adult which makes me melt in a puddle of goo or crime novels that leave me gasping for air. A lot of Chick Lit seems to retread old ground, which makes me sad (and angry). I like Chick Lit that’s different. Enter The A To Z of Me & You, which probably isn’t Chick Lit, actually. According to GoodReads it’s a literary novel – I wouldn’t know, I don’t really do literary. It’s usually too clever, or too slow, and it just isn’t my kind of read.

For the past while I’ve also only been reading books that make me happy. I’ve become less inclined to read emotional books, because I prefer happy books, frankly. I’m sick of feeling depressed after finishing a sad book, haha. And The A To Z of Me & You is most certainly one of those sad, emotional books, but I really liked the sound of it and I was curious if Ivo could complete his A to Z challenge (I won’t tell you if he did, you’ll just have to read it).

Ivo’s life is pretty depressing. He’s living in a hospice, dying. And while I had sympathy for him – no 40 year old deserves to die, that’s just too young, but as the novel progresses we learn why Ivo is where he is, and without giving too much away, it is sort of self-inflicted.

But that doesn’t take away from how enjoyable the novel is (I know – weird to call a novel about dying enjoyable, isn’t it? But I don’t mean that in a masochistic or weird way). James Hannah has written a very captivating novel, because I was so curious to complete Ivo’s story. To learn more about his life, and his failings, and his accomplishments, and his relationships. To see how he ended up in a hospice bed, alone and refusing to see anyone, with his nurse Sheila being his only company. No one deserves that kind of ending, either.

The whole body part A-Z aspect was probably my favourite part, because from each of Ivo’s picks for the letters, came a fascinating story from his past that helped fill out who Ivo actually was, and it was like fitting the pieces of the puzzle together until we finally got the true picture and everything was in place. It was so fascinating to see it all come together, and it definitely left me a bit surprised.

I still can’t quite get over that ending. It left me with a tear in my eye, and somewhat surprised at the turn of events, because I didn’t expect that in a million years. This was definitely a very, very interesting read. One I really enjoyed, and one that I managed to read in one sitting, because it isn’t actually that long a novel, perfect for an afternoon off work.