Amazon:
The last night, I fall asleep believing we have thousands of days ahead of us. We don’t. This night is our last night.
One evening, Carolina says good night to her partner, Aksel. Things have been tough for both of them recently, especially with an eight-month-old son to raise. So when Aksel dies unexpectedly in the night, Carolina’s world is turned upside down.
Based on the author’s own experiences, Let’s Hope for the Best details the small moments of life before and after tragedy. It’s a story about motherhood, family and the difficulties of loving someone who is distant, and then who is gone. Brave and unsparing, packed with emotion and humanity, it is about how the life we envisage for ourselves can be altered in an instant.
What if one moment changed everything you’ve ever known?
My reading experience:
Firstly I would like to thank Netgalley, the author and publisher for my free ARC.
I would have to say this is not an easy book to read but it is compelling.
I found the book to be divided by not just seminal moments of impact but also themes of friendship, relationships, grief, types of love, expectation and longing. I really mustn’t forget loneliness – this book is full of loneliness, and it makes me sad to know it is based on the authors real experience.
When Carolina meets Aksel we see her progress through “normal” relationship desires all by herself. Objectively the reader can see that at no point was Aksel ever truly committed to her. He is lonely in a crowded room, she is lonely when she’s with him. Nothing truly works. And yet Carolina is tenacious. She holds on because of the effort she has invested.
Then, very suddenly, she is alone with her baby to raise.
Grief is a huge theme in this book. It is an overwhelming part of Carolina’s life and she carries guilt and control with her st all times, nurturing theme.
There is no real conclusion to this book as it is more like a recollection of events, moments of learning and reflection.
Appletree Books 