Title: The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos
Author: Kelly Irvin
Major Themes: Texas, Cancer, Marriage, Sisters
Synopsis: Kristen was sure she was doing a great job of juggling a demanding career as an oncologist with being a wife and mother…until her own sister received a dreaded, unexpected diagnosis.
What a story. Several days after reading it, I’m still processing this one. The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos is raw. It’s beautiful. It’s ugly. It’s painful. It’s full of hope amid suffering. It is going to be one that sticks with me for a long time.
Kristen was a successful oncologist. She really cared about all her patients and gave herself fully to them—and still managed to juggle being a wife and mother! She could do it all. Or so she thought. Then, her sister Sherri received a diagnosis that gave both sisters flashbacks to the trauma of their childhood. Kristen immediately threw herself into overseeing her sister’s treatment. Yes, she would spend more time with her husband and daughters—after Sherri was cured!
Sherri, on the other hand, had always worked hard to keep balance in her life. Now that she had such a serious diagnosis, she turned her focus onto relationships with people she loved and rebuilding relationships that had been damaged. As Kristen’s life unraveled, could Sherri help her regain lost ground before it was too late for both of them? How could she point her sister back to the God who loved her?
The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos is told in first-person, from three different points of view. Sometimes, we hear from Kristen, sometimes from Sherri, and sometimes from Kristen’s husband. Each chapter is labeled at the beginning with the name of the speaker, but I did find myself sometimes getting confused when I missed that one word. Overall, though, this was a great way to tell the story of the two sisters.
I read this entire book one afternoon and evening when I was sick. By the way, I wouldn’t recommend reading it at a time like that if you have any tendencies towards hypochondria. I found myself imagining the same symptoms—although to be honest, the flu I had included a number of them! Kelly Irvin kept my attention through the whole story, and though I predicted from about halfway through what would happen, and was right, I was not disappointed but rather encouraged by the message of this story. I recommend it for any woman who is tempted to allow her career or some other interest to push her family out of her life while planning to spend more time with them “later,” or for anyone who enjoys a medical-themed story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Chapter 8: Dang, dang it. Chapter 24: Gee. Chapter 25: Dang clock. Chapter 27: For Pete’s sake, pretty darn good. Chapter 32: Dang it. Chapter 34: Dang. Chapter 41: Too dang long.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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