This is a story about a young woman who is a death doula. Clover helps people transition from this life into death, preparing them. When they voice their regrets, she collects them in a series of journals, and later acts on them, to alleviate the regret from those who are died.
Sebastian hires Clover to care for his ailing grandmother. Originally, she is unable to tell Claudia the reason she is visiting, and instead Clover asks Claudia about her life as a photojournalist. When Clover shows Claudia and old picture of Hugo, Claudia reveals her regret-which was not marrying Hugo. Clover hopes to find Hugo before Claudia dies, to give them a chance to connect 60 years later.
So touching and beautiful. ( )

Sweet story. Nothing memorable but I enjoyed it. A little predictable in a happy way. All tied up neatly in the end. Good not great. ( )

Amazing book about death and relationships. Well worth the read. ( )

Clover is a Death Doula in New York City. A friend thought this book would be depressing. However, I found this book to be very thought provoking. Clover is perhaps different and could be viewed as quirky yet Clover has a unique and beautiful gift that connects her to others. Her insight allows time not to be wasted, avoided or spent alone. My second death doula read. I found this one to be special and insightful. ( )

“But the secret to a beautiful death is to live a beautiful life.�

Though its subject is confronting, The Collected Regrets of Clover is a life affirming debut from Mikki Brammer.

Thirty-six-year-old Clover Brooks works as a death doula in New York City, a vocation inspired in part by being absent when the grandfather who raised her passed away. It is her privilege, she feels, to support people during the last precious weeks, days, or hours of their lives, but in surrounding herself with death, Clover has forgotten how to live.

Clover is a sympathetic character who lives quietly in the rent controlled apartment she grew up in with only her rescue pets for company. Her history of loss, including both her parents at six years old and her grandfather, has left her with unresolved grief that has affected her ability to make secure social connections. Given the nature of her job, Clover’s relationships are generally fleeting, though she visits death cafe’s (gatherings for people to discuss death and dying) when loneliness threatens to overwhelm her. It’s at one of these meetings that she meets Sebastian who hires her to support his beloved grandmother, Claudia who has end stage pancreatic cancer.

Claudia is a wonderful character, at 91 years of age she is a tough, no nonsense type of woman, who has lived a full life, but is not without her regrets. Though Clover has always kept a professional distance between herself and her clients, she and Claudia quickly develop a close bond, and whereas in the past Clover has simply recorded the last words of her clients in one of three notebooks titled Regrets to be examined later, this time she decides to play an active role in resolving one. It is in attempting to track down the source of Claudia’s biggest regret that Clover is challenged to finally face her own.

In balance with the thought-provoking exploration of the themes of loneliness, regret, death and grief, Brammer also examines compassion, grace, friendship, and love. Though occasionally maudlin The Collected Regrets of Clover is never mawkish, instead it’s ultimately inspiring and uplifting. I also found it informative, fascinated by the unfamiliar role of a death doula and the services they can provide.

A captivating and stirring novel, The Collected Regrets of Clover is a reminder that life is too short to not take chances with your heart. ( )