We All Want Impossible Things

Author: Catherine Newman
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher, 2022
Pages: 224
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: Edith and Ashley have been best friends for over forty-two years. They've shared the mundane and the momentous together: trick or treating and binge drinking; Gilligan's Island reruns and REM concerts; hickeys and heartbreak; surprise Scottish wakes; marriages; infertility, and children. As Ash says, "Edi's memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine."

But now the unthinkable has happened. Edi is dying of ovarian cancer and spending her last days at a hospice near Ash, who stumbles into heartbreak surrounded by her daughters, ex(ish) husband, dear friends, a poorly chosen lover (or two), and a rotating case of of beautifully, fleetingly human hospice characters.

As Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack blasts all day long from the room next door, Edi and Ash reminisce, hold on, and try to let go. Meanwhile, Ash struggles with being an imperfect friend, wife, and parent - with life, in other words, distilled to its heartbreaking, joyful, and comedic essence.

Review: In a word, ridiculous. In fact, I don't know why I read beyond the first few chapters. Ashley is incredibly unlikable, and I could not get past Edi going into hospice hours away from her husband and son. I could not relate to Ashley's best friend attitude with her teenage daughter and various sexual exploits.The last two chapters resonated in a personal way, but I'm not sure it was worth the journey.

Allll of this being said, We All Want Impossible Things would be a great choice for the right book club. There is a lot going on here, and could lead to great discussion.