When All Is Said - Anne Griffin

Fiction

Rating: 7.5/10

One night, five remembrances, each one accompanied by a glass raised in a toast. If you had to name five people to epitomize the pivotal moments of your life, who would they be? This novel, told in five extended chapters, is that answer for one man. The clever structure, unraveling the narratives almost as stand-alone stories, connects everything back to our main character.

It became obvious, at least to me, that our narrator was telling these tales in the interests of making peace with his regrets. Behind his gruff exterior is a heart torn and broken by coming to a point in life where his connections are deeper to those who have died than those that are living.

Anyone who misses someone is going to feel this book.

Footnote: This book made me so weepy and emotionally spent I can’t think of a single witty thing to say in my review.  I’ll try to be better next time!