The Collected Regrets of Clover 클로버의 후회 수집 by Mikki Brammer

" I actually really enjoyed this book. I was glued until the end and I think Mikki Brammer did a great job connecting with me emotionally via her writing. The primary reason I would give it 4 out of 5 stars is because this book heavily discusses death, and I imagine it can be a bit triggering for people dealing with suicidal thoughts, recent deaths, depression, or other mental illnesses. I wish there was some sort of obvious and clear disclaimer or at least recommendation on seeking mental health resources, however this is just my personal opinion....." " I’m quite an avid reader of literature and have never come across anything like this before. This novel was chosen for a book club at work, and I must say I can’t stop talking about it. The way it touches on death with true tenderness and on our shared humanity is mind-blowing. I kept taking notes whilst reading and must admit that the messages this novel conveys have already crept into my subconscious. It has for sure affected my decision making during these past weeks and the way I’ve been chatting with the people around me. How can I put it, somehow, I feel more daring, more experimental, more self-caring, more encouraged, and it feels bloody good. Excuse my French, but if this book is not going to be a big hit, I’d be surprised. On top of the ongoing stimulating narrative, it slowly reveals an extremely unusual (or maybe not if people were more daring and outspoken) life of the main character, although her personal story is heart breaking, it lifts you up in the way she learns and evolves through everything she has experienced being a death doula. I’m totally smitten, please read, you will not regret it......"

영어원서와 한국어 번역본을 번갈아 가면서 읽었다. 구글을 검색하면 연애소설, 심리소설, 가정소설 장르로 분류하고 있다. 여기에 '힐링소설'을 첨가해도 좋을 거 같다. '죽음'과 '영원한 이별'이라는 내용을 다루고 있기 때문에 이야기가 좀 무겁다는 점이나 삶을 바라보는 사람들의 의미 있는 대화나 이야기가 많이 나온다는 점등은 이런 장르의 다른 작품들과 비슷하다. 여주인공의 직업인 'death doula' 나 여주인공이 자주 찾아가는 'death cafe' 같은 표현들은 신선했다. 다루고 있는 내용에 비해서 문장이나 표현등이 무난해서 진도가 잘 나가는 작품이었다.

 

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- There was a freedom in having no future to speculate about ..... and from my experience, the ones who preferred not to think about it while living tended to have the most regrets while dying.

- I never realized how much I loved them until I couldn't tell them .....

- I smiled with my eyes more than my lips - a way of conveying warmth and comfort without denying the sadness of the situation......

- One young creative life blossoms as another one ends; there was something beautiful about the tenuous reality of being human.

- People don't usually realize that the words they're saying will be the last ones they'll ever speak.

- I wish I'd told them how much I love them.

- The reason so many people die with regrets is because they live like they're invincible. They don't really think about their death until right before it happens.

- What most people don't consider is that death is often random and cruel. It doesn't care if you've been kind all your life. Or if you've eaten healthily, exercised often, and always worn a seat belt or a helmet.....

- "If you want something you don't have," he'd said, "you have to do something you've never done."

- Looking other people's pain in the eye was much easier than facing your own.

- I'd often watched as lifetimes of memories were unceremoniously discarded by bereaved family members eager to sell a home of the recently departed. The promise of a chunk of money often robbed people of their scruples.

- Leonardo da Vinci quote, .... "While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die."

- When living became a habit rather than a privilege and the years ticked by unnoticed.

- Your grief is yours to process in your own time, in whatever way works for you. No one can tell you how to do that.

- ... the secret to a beautiful death is to live a beautiful life. Putting your heart out there. Letting it get broken. Taking chances. Making mistakes.

- ..instead of constantly asking ourselves the question of why we're here, maybe we should be savoring a smipler truth: We are here.