March 1, 2025
Four people, struggling with grief, decide to take part in experimental group therapy to heal. Freya, an interior designer, Callum, a rock star, Mischa, a shy young adult, and Victoria, a senior partner in a high-powered law firm, are from different walks of life. They are united in their grief and their inability to move on from the traumatic events in their lives. On Tuesdays at 7 o'clock, they meet at the flat of psychologist Genevieve. Genevieve has an unconventional therapy style, and she slowly begins to reach the group. The book is told in parts modeled on the K�bler-Ross expanded stages of grief, and in each part there are alternating chapters from each member of the group. Ireland presents realistic portrayals of complex grief and loss. She succeeds in writing scenes of unflinchingly heartbreaking loss buffered by growing friendships and a possible romance among the group members. About three-quarters of the way through the book, though, the narrative takes an unexpected turn. Readers who accept this new direction will find an unusual story of loss, acceptance, forgiveness, and starting over.
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April 11, 2025
DEBUT Ireland's first novel ostensibly explores stages of grief and how the process unfolds in a group therapy setting. Readers are first introduced to four Londoners of varying ages and backgrounds, who separately responded to an ad for an experimental grief therapy group and now find themselves awkwardly face-to-face. Each is grieving an unknown loss. Details about their backgrounds and experiences are revealed slowly, as though readers are participating in the therapy sessions with them. The characters are very different but they quickly bond, throwing the therapist's plans into disarray as various combinations begin meeting up outside the sessions. There is a dreamy, detached quality to these outside-session scenes, whereas the sessions themselves are emotionally intense and hyper-focused. As readers learn more about each character's tragedy, a romance between two of them heats up. Meanwhile, a parallel plot is revealed regarding the true origin of the group and the mysterious circumstances that brought them together. VERDICT Readers who are invested in accurate depictions of the therapeutic process may find this plot twist challenging to accept, though many of the rather magical events that unfold near the end of the book ring true emotionally.--Erin O. Romanyshyn
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