Fiction

Should We Stay or Should We Go

Should We Stay or Should We Go

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  • Create Date：2021-06-14 19:30:56
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Lionel Shriver
  • ISBN：B08KQCBJ33
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Reviews

Robyn ，

Notable Books #38

Sally ，

I got this free from LoveReading for an honest review。 Initially I thought Lionel had lost her story telling gift but， not that many pages in， the tale took off。 It's a bit of an edgy subject， old age， when most of what we see and hear pertains to the young。 It will， however， happen to us all and this rather explores those options。 There's no perfect！ I got this free from LoveReading for an honest review。 Initially I thought Lionel had lost her story telling gift but， not that many pages in， the tale took off。 It's a bit of an edgy subject， old age， when most of what we see and hear pertains to the young。 It will， however， happen to us all and this rather explores those options。 There's no perfect！ 。。。more

Lou ，

Should We Stay or Should We Go is moving， incisive， richly described literary fiction from one of my favourite writers， Lionel Shriver。 It follows a married couple who decide they will take control of their final years by exiting the world together at the age of 80—with unexpected consequences and possibilities in New York Times bestselling author Lionel Shriver’s brilliantly conceived parallel-universe novel of sickness， marriage， old age and mortality reminiscent of The Post-Birthday World。 Wh Should We Stay or Should We Go is moving， incisive， richly described literary fiction from one of my favourite writers， Lionel Shriver。 It follows a married couple who decide they will take control of their final years by exiting the world together at the age of 80—with unexpected consequences and possibilities in New York Times bestselling author Lionel Shriver’s brilliantly conceived parallel-universe novel of sickness， marriage， old age and mortality reminiscent of The Post-Birthday World。 When her father dies， Kay is relieved。 For ten years， she watched helplessly as Alzheimer’s ravaged this once decorous man。 Her husband of twenty-eight years， Cyril， found his brief exposure to her father’s decline intolerable。 Healthy and full of vitality， both Kay and Cyril， now in their early 50s， fear what may lie ahead for them。 One thing is certain: neither wants to die without dignity。 To avert a similar fate， they make a pact: on Kay’s 80th birthday they will commit suicide together。 Cyril， a doctor， acquires the means they will need to exit the world， a bottle of tablets they keep in a black box tucked away in the back of the fridge。 Their deal is made in 1991。 They will have thirty more years together。 But as time passes and their “final” day approaches， doubts begin to arise。 This is a captivating， tender and often sardonic read with a whole lot of heart and soul injected into it。 It's deftly plotted and on such a poignant overarching theme I couldn't think of anyone better than to write this astonishing and touching tale about the fickle， fleeting nature of life， the fallibility of memory and the pitfalls of growing old。 In it Shriver constructs twelve parallel universes， exploring multiple futures for the couple， some of which stray into speculative fiction （e。g。 successful cryogenics， a cure for ageing）， and I had an absolute ball reading this book， which may have a grim starting point， but which in its execution is playful， funny， and sometimes， life-affirming。 Both timely and timeless， the intention of the story is serious—to examine the quandary of how to live a long enough life yet still go out in style。 I can't resist Shriver’s writing， so I decided to forge ahead despite this being a topic I would usually avoid。 I must say， it's heartbreaking and beautiful， poignant and surprisingly humorous and it goes without saying: exquisitely written with deft handling of sensitive issues。 Among the topics it explores are living life to the full， dying with dignity， autonomy and suicide。 It has emotional depth， but Shriver balances that against lighter quips throughout giving a perfect equilibrium between light and dark themes in this thoughtful， thought-provoking story。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Kristen Claiborn ，

First， I’d like to thank Lionel Shriver and Harper Collins for the advanced reader copy of this book I received via a Goodreads giveaway。 My views are entirely my own and in no way were they influenced by the author or publisher。 tThis book follows a couple who contemplate their mortality after watching the wife’s father die slowly from dementia。 They make a pact to do away with themselves when they reach the age of 80， regardless of what their health situation is like。 The story then follows th First， I’d like to thank Lionel Shriver and Harper Collins for the advanced reader copy of this book I received via a Goodreads giveaway。 My views are entirely my own and in no way were they influenced by the author or publisher。 tThis book follows a couple who contemplate their mortality after watching the wife’s father die slowly from dementia。 They make a pact to do away with themselves when they reach the age of 80， regardless of what their health situation is like。 The story then follows their lives up to the day of reckoning， after that it shows multiple paths and different story lines for a bunch of potential outcomes。 It’s not just one story， it’s the possibility of a multitude of stories。 tWhile I found much of the writing pretentious and the speech patterns a tad foreign， this book is a wild read。 Much of it borders on hilarious。 The scenarios put forth are seemingly unlikely， yet at the same time we can all imagine what we want the end of our days to be like， so maybe not that unlikely at all。 A few of the outcomes are downright enraging。 Shriver certainly does make the reader sit and think about what they would potentially do at the end of their lives。 。。。more

CuteBadger ，

I was happy to receive a copy of this book from LoveReading as I’ve read and enjoyed previous books by Lionel Shriver。 It’s a darkly funny， tragic， political， and personal novel looking at what happens to us in old age， and how much control we have over it。 You could say that it’s a blend of the film Sliding Doors and Kate Atkinson’s book Life After Life， as it examines many possible outcomes of the same event with inherent positives and negatives， repeatedly making me think of the truth of the I was happy to receive a copy of this book from LoveReading as I’ve read and enjoyed previous books by Lionel Shriver。 It’s a darkly funny， tragic， political， and personal novel looking at what happens to us in old age， and how much control we have over it。 You could say that it’s a blend of the film Sliding Doors and Kate Atkinson’s book Life After Life， as it examines many possible outcomes of the same event with inherent positives and negatives， repeatedly making me think of the truth of the aphorism “We make plans and God laughs”。I really liked Kay and Cyril and enjoyed learning about the minutiae of their lives。 They very much came across as real people that I might know， by turns endearing and irritating， with a very realistic marriage。 I wasn’t expecting it to be as funny as it was， but it made me laugh a few times and then feel slightly ashamed of having done so。 The humour is very black， just what is needed to make some of subject-matter bearable。It’s not an easy book by any means as it deals with big subjects， but it’ll make you think about your own views on moving towards old age and death。 It stayed with me for a good while after I finished it。 。。。more

Kath ，

My first thoughts about this book were along the lines of - finally， a book which manages to include the covid pandemic， not be about the pandemic， but also still works as a novel。 Maybe that says more about me than the book and I am also not sure why this excites me so， but it does。 When we first meet Kay she is mourning the loss of her father。 I say mourning but it's not sadness。 She is beyond that， she let him go years ago when Alzheimers took him。 It was actually a relief when he eventually My first thoughts about this book were along the lines of - finally， a book which manages to include the covid pandemic， not be about the pandemic， but also still works as a novel。 Maybe that says more about me than the book and I am also not sure why this excites me so， but it does。 When we first meet Kay she is mourning the loss of her father。 I say mourning but it's not sadness。 She is beyond that， she let him go years ago when Alzheimers took him。 It was actually a relief when he eventually died。 This leads her to evaluate her own life and indeed death。 And this leads to an interesting conversation with husband Cyril as to what they want to happen to them， before they get too old and become a burden。 Still in their early 50s at the start of the book， they decide that they will end their lives on Kay's 80th birthday， her being a year younger。 The lead up to which will be filled with all the things they want to cram into their lives before they go。 Seems a good plan and things are ticking along nicely all the way up to the moment of truth。。。 This book then splits into iterations of what happened next。。。 Twelve parallel universes， each detailing a different way things could have gone， with very different outcomes。 I can well see this book being a bit marmite， and as with such books， should also be a cracking book-club book as it does throw up a lot to debate。 A lot of controversial topics too。 Me， I loved it - you might have already guessed from the 5 stars。 I simply whizzed through it， hanging off every word as it shocked， saddened， amused me in equal measure。 It really is an emotional book all told。 And also having got to know many sides and facets of both Kay and Cyril， I have to admit that I was a bit devastated to have to say goodbye to them at the end of the book。 I'd love to hear more from them in the future - maybe what happened up to their 50th years。 They have three children - all very different so I think plenty of background for storylines。Anyway， back to this book and I have a few favourite "endings" for our duo but I am not sure how much to divulge here - some of which are mentioned in the blurb so I am safe to mention two such favourites were the dodgy retirement home and the cryogenic one。 Fabulous！All in all a cracking read which I have no hesitation to recommend。 My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 。。。more

Kathleen Gray ，

What if？ Kay and Cyril agree in 1991 when she is fifty and he 51 that they will commit suicide when they turn 80。 Shriver then offers 12 different scenarios for the next thirty years。 In one case one of them dies in an accident， in another， they live past their stated date of demise thanks to intervention by their children but what kind of life do they have？ It's clever， to be sure。 There are obvious parallels with Brexit （although， admittedly， that wasn't an issue in 1991）。 Some of this is funn What if？ Kay and Cyril agree in 1991 when she is fifty and he 51 that they will commit suicide when they turn 80。 Shriver then offers 12 different scenarios for the next thirty years。 In one case one of them dies in an accident， in another， they live past their stated date of demise thanks to intervention by their children but what kind of life do they have？ It's clever， to be sure。 There are obvious parallels with Brexit （although， admittedly， that wasn't an issue in 1991）。 Some of this is funny- her fans know Shrive likes satire- but some of it is outlandish （cryogenics）。 It's certainly thought provoking。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 For fans of literary fiction。 。。。more

Angie Simmonds ，

This book had an interesting premise。 A husband and wife in their mid fifties decide they don't want to wither away in a dementia fog or be a burden to their children or the healthcare system so they decide when they are eighty， on the wife's eightieth birthday in fact， they will commit suicide。 I was interested to see how their life would play out from when the story starts until they decide to pop the pills that would end their life。 How much different would they live their life knowing what t This book had an interesting premise。 A husband and wife in their mid fifties decide they don't want to wither away in a dementia fog or be a burden to their children or the healthcare system so they decide when they are eighty， on the wife's eightieth birthday in fact， they will commit suicide。 I was interested to see how their life would play out from when the story starts until they decide to pop the pills that would end their life。 How much different would they live their life knowing what they will be doing 25 years from now。 Would they make different choices， be reckless， mend broken relationships？ And yes， they did all those things and more。 Over and over and over again。When death came really early in the book I thought where is she planning to go now。 Then I realized when she started the next chapter with Kay being alive that something was amiss。 What Lionel Shriver does is gives you a different scenario of what could have happened in every chapter。 At first I kind of liked it。 Then after you've read 1/2 dozen scenarios， some definitely more bizarre than the ones before all you want to do is put this elderly couple out of their misery yourself！ I got real bored， real fast and couldn't wait to find out what ending the author chose as her final one。Burned already once with We Need to Talk About Kevin， I probably won't be trying this author again。 。。。more

Cindy ，

The concept of this book was very cool: alternate universes revolving around a couple （Cyril and Kay）'s decision whether or not to kill themselves on Kay's 80th birthday to spare themselves （and the NHS coffers） the indignities of aging。 This reminded me a bit of Shriver's earlier book， The Post-Birthday World， but with many （too many） more alternative outcomes。Shriver is as snarky and witty as ever， but this book fell flat for me overall。 Some of the alternates were just too kooky -- cryogenics The concept of this book was very cool: alternate universes revolving around a couple （Cyril and Kay）'s decision whether or not to kill themselves on Kay's 80th birthday to spare themselves （and the NHS coffers） the indignities of aging。 This reminded me a bit of Shriver's earlier book， The Post-Birthday World， but with many （too many） more alternative outcomes。Shriver is as snarky and witty as ever， but this book fell flat for me overall。 Some of the alternates were just too kooky -- cryogenics and anti-aging pills -- ugh -- and I get that the stay/leave of Brexit was a theme， but omg it was boring to read about it in detail， especially through the voice of Cyril who was such a bombastic know-it-all， and I did not love his Covid denier underpinnings either。This would be an interesting story to discuss with a book group， assuming everyone could make it through the entire book。 I ended up skimming in parts because I just wanted it to be over。*Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for the review copy。 Available June 8， 2021 * 。。。more

AtomicBooks ，

I went on a whole journey with this book。 If I am honest when I first started this book it I didn’t like it， I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish it but then something big happened and I fell in love with the writing， the story and the characters， and I couldn’t put it down。 It starts a bit like a play， a dialogue between two characters， Kay and Cyril， but then the story really opens up， as we enter a story somewhere between Groundhog Day and Sliding Doors。 The story touches on so many things I went on a whole journey with this book。 If I am honest when I first started this book it I didn’t like it， I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish it but then something big happened and I fell in love with the writing， the story and the characters， and I couldn’t put it down。 It starts a bit like a play， a dialogue between two characters， Kay and Cyril， but then the story really opens up， as we enter a story somewhere between Groundhog Day and Sliding Doors。 The story touches on so many things， it is in parts funny， sometimes sad， a little bit heartwarming with a big dose of political satire but ultimately it is a brilliant memorable read。Thank you to LoveReading for the ARC。 。。。more

Lori L （She Treads Softly） ，

Should We Stay or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver is a very highly recommended satirical novel featuring twelve alternate universes in which a couple take the time of their demise into their own hands。After her father dies， Kay Wilkinson only feels relief after helping care for him during his prolonged illness with Alzheimer’s。 Kay is a nurse and Cyril， her husband， is a doctor。 Between them， over the years they have seen many elderly patients with declining health issues。 Kay and Cyril， in their Should We Stay or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver is a very highly recommended satirical novel featuring twelve alternate universes in which a couple take the time of their demise into their own hands。After her father dies， Kay Wilkinson only feels relief after helping care for him during his prolonged illness with Alzheimer’s。 Kay is a nurse and Cyril， her husband， is a doctor。 Between them， over the years they have seen many elderly patients with declining health issues。 Kay and Cyril， in their early fifties， discuss what may lie ahead for them when Cyril makes a proposal that they should agree to set the time of their death on their own terms at a time of their choosing。 They decide that the time will be when they both reach age eighty。Three decades later the time of their choosing has arrived and Shriver gives us twelve alternate endings to the story in parallel universes。 Each ending features a different choice and a different ending for Kay and Cyril。 It is satirical fun。 Sure， it is perhaps a bit morbid at times， but still each ironic future for them is vastly different。 Some of their outcomes are based closer to reality while others veer toward science fiction。 As reading I appreciated the idea that we can't predict the future， what our life will be like， or how we will feel about it when we are there。The time for Kay and Cyril's exit is to occur in 2020。 Shriver， who is known for often including her opinions on current topics in her novels， includes current events in Should We Stay or Should We Go。 These include， in part， immigration， cancel culture， the pandemic， political correctness， and Brexit。 In a perfect humorous passage， Shriver writes herself into the novel， much to my pleasure and enjoyment: “Please tell me you’re not listening to that Shriver woman，” Kay groans to Cyril。 “She’s a hysteric。 And so annoyingly smug， as if she wants civilization to collapse。”The multiple perspectives on multiple timelines was very successful for me。 Certainly some of their endings were more successful or gratifying to read than others， but that seems to be the point of the matter。 You can't always know the value of your life， what will happen in the future， and what other factors will come into play。 Should we embrace exercising free choice or accept what life/fate has to offer？ Each alternate ending introduces a whole different set of issues and twists - some good， some awful， some realistic， some implausible - but reading through all of them was enjoyable。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2021/0。。。 。。。more

Tina Panik ，

A novel of the times， for the times。 Shriver’s command of the geo-political arena， and the nuances of married life， merge to create a series of successful what-if scenarios for this couple。 This was an ARC。

Helen ，

Should the death of a parent come as a relief？ For Kay Wilkinson， over ten years of Alzheimer’s destroyed her once erudite and intelligent father， and the burden of care fell squarely on Kay and her mother， so after such a gruellingly hard and desperately sad ten years， her father’s death is exactly that: a relief。 To the extent that she can’t even cry about it。Kay and her husband Cyril are both in their fifties， working as medics and enjoying good health， but， they have seen too many of their e Should the death of a parent come as a relief？ For Kay Wilkinson， over ten years of Alzheimer’s destroyed her once erudite and intelligent father， and the burden of care fell squarely on Kay and her mother， so after such a gruellingly hard and desperately sad ten years， her father’s death is exactly that: a relief。 To the extent that she can’t even cry about it。Kay and her husband Cyril are both in their fifties， working as medics and enjoying good health， but， they have seen too many of their elderly NHS patients in similar states of decay to Kay’s father。 Determined to die with dignity， Cyril proposes that they should agree to commit suicide together once they’ve both turned eighty。 When their deal is sealed in 1991， the couple are looking forward to another three decades together， and their agreement is largely ignored for the whole of that time， but then they turn eighty， and they have to face the implications of the pact they made。 In this "Sliding Doors" meets "Life After Life" novel， each successive chapter offers a different “ending” for Kay and Cyril， as the intertwined issues of how to cope with declining health in old age， and the dilemma of how to go out in style at the optimum time are explored。 A wide range of scenarios play out – some are happy， some most definitely are not – and these different endings rehearse an equally diverse spectrum of philosophies and attitudes to the subject: Is suicide a cop out; surely it is braver and more noble to lose everything by degrees and take what comes？ Or， is it better to postpone suicide if you’re still hale and hearty at 80， live your best older age life until you can’t and then make an exit？ Or， should one take decisive action， even before decrepitude has set in， in order to retain control over one’s own destiny？No spoilers here， but it is safe to say that the subject， in all its aspects， is explored comprehensively within the novel， along with a menu of other contemporary issues of the day such as Brexit， the pandemic and elderly care。So is it a good read？ Well， it is fair to say that this very much an issue-driven novel rather than character-driven， and inevitably， given the subject of the book， there are potential triggers around old age， illness， suicide and elder-abuse/elderly care， which may be distressing for some。It is written with Lionel Shriver’s usual shrewd eye， her observational skills and trademark mordant wit， so there are many apt and pithy quotes to enjoy。 Overall I found this to be a very readable and thought-provoking novel， and it is the kind of book which leaves you chewing things over in your mind long after you have finished it。Thank you to The Borough Press via NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review。 。。。more

Sharon ，

I was initially drawn to the book as its summary indicated the story provided an interesting premise。 It however did not work for me and I did not find the characters or conversations particularly interesting。 In all honesty I skimmed through the book， reading various chapters/pages until I reached the final few。 This book was however nothing special for me。 3 starsMy thanks to goodreads and the book’s giveaway sponsors for the opportunity to obtain and read a copy of this book。

LS ，

Lionel Shriver is one of the strongest contemporary writers on the market。 Every time I read one of her books， I marvel at the rhythm of her sentences， her penetrating insight， and her intelligent prose。 Last year's novel， THE MOTION OF THE BODY THROUGH SPACE， was the best book I read during the pandemic。 It was the first time I had laughed out loud in months。 She's a brilliant satirist。This new novel， SHOULD WE STAY OR SHOULD WE GO， takes a maudlin idea--the concept of aging--and approaches it Lionel Shriver is one of the strongest contemporary writers on the market。 Every time I read one of her books， I marvel at the rhythm of her sentences， her penetrating insight， and her intelligent prose。 Last year's novel， THE MOTION OF THE BODY THROUGH SPACE， was the best book I read during the pandemic。 It was the first time I had laughed out loud in months。 She's a brilliant satirist。This new novel， SHOULD WE STAY OR SHOULD WE GO， takes a maudlin idea--the concept of aging--and approaches it from every angle possible。 She also weaves in a lot of current topics （like Brexit， climate change， racism， and other politically-charged subjects） and satirizes them in her very pointed but honest way。 Shriver doesn't hold back。 Her wit is razor-sharp， and she pulls no punches。Once again， Shriver uses a parallel universe structure to tell her story。 The book revolves around Kay and Cyril， an aging couple who make a pact to commit suicide on Kay's 80th birthday。 Each chapter shows a different path that their suicide pact could take。 Some of the chapters are more grounded in reality than others。 A few of the later chapters delve into sci fi， an approach I found startling and less successful than some of the earlier chapters。 But as usual， Shriver was trying to point out some of the ridiculousness of humanity。Read this book for its insights and its pointed satire。 But if you don't like it， don't give up on Shriver。 WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN and THE POST-BIRTHDAY WORLD are two of the best books I've ever read， and I still think about them more than ten years later。I won an ARC for this book through a Goodreads giveaway。 Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to devour this novel before its publication。 。。。more

Dana ，

WOW。 Lionel Shriver never disappoints but this one is a doozy。 Not since We Have to Talk aBout Kevin or The Post Birthday World has a book been so haunting。 No spoilers。。。。but each chapter lends itself to both discussion and rumination。。。。 the societal impact of Retrogeritox alone could spark 100 dinner party debates。。。。Thank you for the ARC

B。 ，

Somewhere closer to 2。5 starsHard to rate， because in the beginning I found it brillant， but there were so many scenarios that around 2/3 of the way through， I became a bit frustrated。

Anni ，

The conundrum behind the title， as Ms Shriver describes it herself， is “how to live a long-enough life yet still go out in style？” The concept is the parallel universe one， where the alternative timelines make for multiple perspectives and possibilities to play out。 She deploys twelve scenarios， some blackly comic， some touching and tragic， others horrific- including the repercussions of a suicide pact and - in one case， she plays with the speculative fiction of cryogenics。This playful ‘what if The conundrum behind the title， as Ms Shriver describes it herself， is “how to live a long-enough life yet still go out in style？” The concept is the parallel universe one， where the alternative timelines make for multiple perspectives and possibilities to play out。 She deploys twelve scenarios， some blackly comic， some touching and tragic， others horrific- including the repercussions of a suicide pact and - in one case， she plays with the speculative fiction of cryogenics。This playful ‘what if ？’ conceit also means that Shriver can employ her usual trenchant social criticism over a range of current issues， such as Brexit， immigration， political correctness and the Covid ‘pandemic’。 Set in Britain， the American born Shriver is spot on with our geography， vernacular and politics because she has lived in the U。K。 for nearly three decades。This is the 12th novel I’ve read by this author， and I’ve found it as much fun as she admits she had in writing it。Thanks go to the publisher for the ARC via NetGalley 。。。more

Milly Reynolds ，

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review。This is such an interesting idea。 Kay and Cyril are two medical professionals who， in 1991， are in their 50s。 Kay has spent the previous few years watching her father swallowed up by Alzheimer's and Cyril proposes that on their 80th birthday， they should commit suicide。What follows are twelve different endings， twelve different scenarios about how this proposal could turn out。 I'm not going to give you any clues about the different endings， but Li This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review。This is such an interesting idea。 Kay and Cyril are two medical professionals who， in 1991， are in their 50s。 Kay has spent the previous few years watching her father swallowed up by Alzheimer's and Cyril proposes that on their 80th birthday， they should commit suicide。What follows are twelve different endings， twelve different scenarios about how this proposal could turn out。 I'm not going to give you any clues about the different endings， but Lionel Shriver really does present you with ideas about the future， some that we have probably all thought of at one time or another。 I'm also not revealing which of the twelve I preferred。The relationship between Cyril and Kay is what makes this book。 They are brilliant characters， Cyril is very set in his ways while Kay has a zest for life， but their love for each other is so touching。 As the year that they turn 80 is 2020， coronavirus makes an introduction and Cyril had some very strong opinions in some of the scenarios and we see how the disease affects them and their plans。 Brexit is also another topic that Cyril has opinions about。This is certainly a book that makes you think about the future， although I don't think I'd be too happy if my own husband came up the same idea as Cyril。 。。。more

SueLucie ，

I have long enjoyed Lionel Shriver’s work and her ability to cut to the heart of topical issues。 Her writing is always elegant and so witty。 She carries on in the same vein in this latest novel， turning her attention to ageing， and I found this really engaging， especially to begin with。 But， as the publisher’s blurb says:Weaving in a host of contemporary issues - Brexit， mass migration， the coronavirus - Lionel Shriver has pulled off a rollicking page-turner in which we never have to mourn decea I have long enjoyed Lionel Shriver’s work and her ability to cut to the heart of topical issues。 Her writing is always elegant and so witty。 She carries on in the same vein in this latest novel， turning her attention to ageing， and I found this really engaging， especially to begin with。 But， as the publisher’s blurb says:Weaving in a host of contemporary issues - Brexit， mass migration， the coronavirus - Lionel Shriver has pulled off a rollicking page-turner in which we never have to mourn deceased characters， because they’ll be alive and kicking in the very next chapter。and this is where my problem with this book lies。 Although of course I found the different situations Kay and Cyril experience sometimes entertaining， sometimes downright scary， always thought-provoking （I am thinking here of the cryogenics chapter particularly）， overall I felt there were too many social issues crammed into too many possible scenarios， to the extent that by the end I failed to care about the outcome for the characters one jot。 I don’t suppose LS intended us to care about them， but it came as a disappointment for me as I’d been invested in their dilemma in the first chapters。With thanks to HarperCollins， Borough Press via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC。 。。。more

Caleb Dagenhart ，

Strong writing and an interesting premise: how to cope with declining health in old age？ Although the suicide pact is a bit morbid， this tongue-in-cheek work started off strong。 There was an opportunity here to treat serious topics with a bit of levity in a way that would have been truly memorable。 For me， the first half of the book approaches that standard， and is probably a solid 4 stars。 My only criticism of the beginning of the work is that there is a bit too much expository dialogue for a c Strong writing and an interesting premise: how to cope with declining health in old age？ Although the suicide pact is a bit morbid， this tongue-in-cheek work started off strong。 There was an opportunity here to treat serious topics with a bit of levity in a way that would have been truly memorable。 For me， the first half of the book approaches that standard， and is probably a solid 4 stars。 My only criticism of the beginning of the work is that there is a bit too much expository dialogue for a couple who have been married for decades。However， later on， as the situations Kay and Cyril find themselves in become more outlandish， for me， they become much less interesting， and I found myself powering through the end of the book out of a sense of duty rather than enjoyment。Note: I was provided a free advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Maryellen Woodside ，

Wow！ This book blew me away！ Kay and Cyril Wilkinson are both in the medical field， he a doctor and she a nurse。 After Kay's father dies from Alzheimer's， they make a pact to commit suicide on Kay's 80th birthday。 Seems like a simple enough plot。 But Shriver has presented several different endings to the story。 Some of the ending are happy， others are downright scary。 Loved it！ Wow！ This book blew me away！ Kay and Cyril Wilkinson are both in the medical field， he a doctor and she a nurse。 After Kay's father dies from Alzheimer's， they make a pact to commit suicide on Kay's 80th birthday。 Seems like a simple enough plot。 But Shriver has presented several different endings to the story。 Some of the ending are happy， others are downright scary。 Loved it！ 。。。more

Roman Clodia ，

I love Shriver's trenchant wit and intellect but I'm sorry to say this book didn't work for me。 It's issue-driven and the characters are just chess pieces whose only function is to be moved around the board from chapter to chapter。 The topic of an aging population has so much potential but it gets diluted via the showy 'Sliding Doors' format which Shriver has worked far more effectively in the past。 And there's a strained attempt to liken the projected suicide of the characters to the national s I love Shriver's trenchant wit and intellect but I'm sorry to say this book didn't work for me。 It's issue-driven and the characters are just chess pieces whose only function is to be moved around the board from chapter to chapter。 The topic of an aging population has so much potential but it gets diluted via the showy 'Sliding Doors' format which Shriver has worked far more effectively in the past。 And there's a strained attempt to liken the projected suicide of the characters to the national self-harm of Brexit and the covid lockdown （Shriver seems sceptical about the latter）。 This could have made a snappy short story - stretched to novel length， it fell flat for me。 But flashes of cynical humour are a reminder of just how iconoclastic Shriver can be。Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley 。。。more

Robin Brown ，

I know this was a satire but it seemed more silly than satirical。