This Shining Life
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- Create Date：2021-06-20 07:52:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Harriet Kline
- ISBN：0857526286
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Summary
Loveable， charming and cheese-loving Rich is dying of a brain tumour。 For Ruth， the idea that her time with her adored husband is painfully limited is too much to handle。 For their young son Ollie， each day it becomes more difficult to understand。
In the wake of her husband's premature death， Ruth faces the biggest challenge of all - carrying on when the love of her life is gone。 And looking after her young son Ollie while managing her eccentric family is just the start。
Trying to deal with her own grief while helping Ollie through his own is no easy task， but Rich's death also forces Ruth to confront her own childhood; only when she can come to terms with that will she be able to face the journey she's now on。
Ruth and Ollie's lives will never be the same again but， together， they can begin to build their new world。
In the wake of her husband's premature death， Ruth faces the biggest challenge of all - carrying on when the love of her life is gone。 And looking after her young son Ollie while managing her eccentric family is just the start。
Trying to deal with her own grief while helping Ollie through his own is no easy task， but Rich's death also forces Ruth to confront her own childhood; only when she can come to terms with that will she be able to face the journey she's now on。
Ruth and Ollie's lives will never be the same again but， together， they can begin to build their new world。
Reviews
Darla
，
Ollie needs to answer this question: "How will I ever know， then， that it means to be alive？" When Ollie's father Rich was dying due to a brain tumor， a list of gifts for friends and family was made。 Each gift was chosen very carefully and thoughtfully。 Binoculars for Ollie （to help him focus）。 A pink vase for Other Grandma （Rich's mother）。 A Bohemian necklace for Aunt Nessa （sister of Ollie's mother Ruth）。 And so on。 After Rich's death， Ollie discovers the list and it becomes his mission to fin Ollie needs to answer this question: "How will I ever know， then， that it means to be alive？" When Ollie's father Rich was dying due to a brain tumor， a list of gifts for friends and family was made。 Each gift was chosen very carefully and thoughtfully。 Binoculars for Ollie （to help him focus）。 A pink vase for Other Grandma （Rich's mother）。 A Bohemian necklace for Aunt Nessa （sister of Ollie's mother Ruth）。 And so on。 After Rich's death， Ollie discovers the list and it becomes his mission to find out what these gifts were meant to teach him about life。 Since Ollie is autistic， this challenge becomes an obsession。 The surviving family members， caught up in their own grief and other dysfunctional dynamics， seem to disregard Ollie's project。 Will they understand in time to help Ollie answer his question？ Told in a range of perspectives and in diverging timelines， this is about the beauty of life and family。 There is hope。Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sharon May
，
Many thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press/Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of this bittersweet book by Harriet Kline - 4 shining stars！Ollie's dad died。 Ollie is a different child and he's not always sure he fits into his family just as they aren't sure about him。 But when Rich dies at a young age of a brain tumor， the entire family is thrown and unsure of how to navigate their grief。 Mom， Ruth， sinks into depression; her mom， Angran， remains angry at life; Nessa， Ruth's sister， was Rich' Many thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press/Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of this bittersweet book by Harriet Kline - 4 shining stars！Ollie's dad died。 Ollie is a different child and he's not always sure he fits into his family just as they aren't sure about him。 But when Rich dies at a young age of a brain tumor， the entire family is thrown and unsure of how to navigate their grief。 Mom， Ruth， sinks into depression; her mom， Angran， remains angry at life; Nessa， Ruth's sister， was Rich's friend as well and tries to get Ruth to move on。 Rich's parents， dealing with their own issues， struggle with losing their son。 Rich left a present for each family member and Ollie helped wrap them up。 But things didn't turn out as planned and Ollie is desperate to set things right。The story is told from all the different viewpoints of the family members， both before Rich's death and after。 Ruth's childhood issues come into play in all her relationships and she has to come to terms with them。 This is a wonderful story of grief - of loss， of coming together， of moving on。 I loved all the different voices and how the author let us see different viewpoints at different times to tell the same story through another's eyes。 Which is another important lesson from this book - what we think others may want or need may not be true。 。。。more
Claire
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An engaging gentle read about a fascinating family， a collection of seemingly disparate characters and yet they come together as families can do in a crisis。 The book opens with Ollie， a boy with autism telling us his dad is dying， Ollie believes that his dad has set him a puzzle and he likes puzzles， so this becomes his focus after his dad dies。 His mum Ruth， her sister Nessa and his dad's parents grandpa and other grandmother， along with his mum's mother Angran， all deal with their loss in the An engaging gentle read about a fascinating family， a collection of seemingly disparate characters and yet they come together as families can do in a crisis。 The book opens with Ollie， a boy with autism telling us his dad is dying， Ollie believes that his dad has set him a puzzle and he likes puzzles， so this becomes his focus after his dad dies。 His mum Ruth， her sister Nessa and his dad's parents grandpa and other grandmother， along with his mum's mother Angran， all deal with their loss in their own way， sometimes too caught up in grief to cope with Ollie。 A real character driven book， each person comes to life on the page and gets a chance to be the narrator， including Rich， Ollie's dad， as the book moves back and forward through time。 I really enjoyed this book， it was a realistic portrayal of grief， with moments of sadness but also joy and interesting relatable characters。 Also a realistic portrayal of a child with autism， some of my favourite parts were when Ollie was speaking and expressing his frustration and the various ways the adults responded to him。 With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Phrynne
，
A nicely written book which I believe is the author's debut novel。 The cover deserves a mention too - it is beautiful！This Shining Life tells the story of a father who dies too young from brain cancer leaving behind his wife and eleven year old son， Ollie。 Ollie is neuro diverse and sees the world in a different way to most of us and it was his share in the story that interested me the most。After Rich's death the family respond in an assortment of ways as families do， but I found all of them to A nicely written book which I believe is the author's debut novel。 The cover deserves a mention too - it is beautiful！This Shining Life tells the story of a father who dies too young from brain cancer leaving behind his wife and eleven year old son， Ollie。 Ollie is neuro diverse and sees the world in a different way to most of us and it was his share in the story that interested me the most。After Rich's death the family respond in an assortment of ways as families do， but I found all of them to be rather unpleasant people who were very irresponsible regarding Ollie。 I am afraid I was mostly irritated by their self-centredness and this spoiled the reading experience for me a little。By the end of the book there was a slight feeling of optimism but I wanted more and I still felt we left Ollie in an insecure place。 Still an interesting and very readable book and I know a lot of people like it much more than me。My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Gina Moltz
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While there were beautiful moments in this book， there was too much chaos for me。 The only character I really liked was Ollie because at least he was trying to listen to the rest of the family。 Everyone else seemed to focus on themselves and not care about Ollie floundering。
Shauna Roth
，
I really liked this book。 A lot。 The characters were believable， if not a bit frustrating at times。 Life is a journey with no destination in sight。 We may think think we know where we’re going， but there are so many side trips to be had。 I loved the title。 Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC。
Jim Hanks
，
This Shining Life is a genuinely moving book。 It's a sweet and sad tale of how a death from cancer devastates a family。 Ollie， the autistic son of the deceased is a wonderful memorable character as he struggles to come to terms with what is happening。 There are plenty of funny moments in the book and the writing is superb throughout。 This Shining Life is a genuinely moving book。 It's a sweet and sad tale of how a death from cancer devastates a family。 Ollie， the autistic son of the deceased is a wonderful memorable character as he struggles to come to terms with what is happening。 There are plenty of funny moments in the book and the writing is superb throughout。 。。。more
Kimberly
，
"This Shining Life" by Harriet Kline really resonated with me。 Like Ollie， I am neurodivergent and my dad passed away suddenly when I was still young。 I had a mother and grandparents who didn't know how to cope with their own losses， much less help me deal with mine。 Also like Ollie， I floundered around， searching for meaning that just wasn't there。 I could identify with Ruth too-even though she suffered a tremendous loss， she still felt like she had to be supportive to everyone around her， putt "This Shining Life" by Harriet Kline really resonated with me。 Like Ollie， I am neurodivergent and my dad passed away suddenly when I was still young。 I had a mother and grandparents who didn't know how to cope with their own losses， much less help me deal with mine。 Also like Ollie， I floundered around， searching for meaning that just wasn't there。 I could identify with Ruth too-even though she suffered a tremendous loss， she still felt like she had to be supportive to everyone around her， putting aside her needs for theirs， which eventually led to depression。 However， as I also found to be the case， in the midst of death and mourning， there were flashes of light and happiness for those left behind。 They learned to listen to each other， and to help each other grieve。 They remembered Rich with funny stories and smiles。 Most of all， they learned that living means having to accept and forgive others， and that love comes in many different forms。 Ollie's dad died， my dad died， but their deaths in some strange way taught us to live。Many thanks to NetGalley， the publisher， and to the author for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this beautiful and realistic book， in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Sherrie
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Ollie， is a young boy with autism who's dad has died。 He wants worder and tries to keep everything together and in the correct place。 His mom， Ruth， on the other hand is mess and very unorganized。 It's a story of them trying to make it together after the death of a husband and dad。 It's a life dealing with death， trama， uncertainty and loss。 Sad and sweet。 "I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。" Thank you #NetGalley#DoubleDay#ThisS Ollie， is a young boy with autism who's dad has died。 He wants worder and tries to keep everything together and in the correct place。 His mom， Ruth， on the other hand is mess and very unorganized。 It's a story of them trying to make it together after the death of a husband and dad。 It's a life dealing with death， trama， uncertainty and loss。 Sad and sweet。 "I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。" Thank you #NetGalley#DoubleDay#ThisShingingLife 。。。more
Susan Spindler
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A haunting novel about love， loss and grief。 With unflinching honesty This Shining Life examines how a family experiences and processes terminal illness and death。 It points up both the painful gaps in our understanding of one another and the moments of mutuality in beautifully crafted prose。
Kisha
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THIS SHINING LIFE: ⭐️⭐️⭐️Bittersweet story that was for some reason hard for me to really get into。 I don’t know if it was structure or story， but I was just not MOVED。NOTE: I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review。
Farrah
，
This book made me think about my Grandmother's funeral years ago， where two of my family members who'd had a huge falling out reconnected。 I remember thinking that it was nice that something good came out of such a sad day。 𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙍𝙪𝙩𝙝， 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙊𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚， 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧- 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 -𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙖𝙬。 All these characters are really flawed。 Obviously they care for each other but they're ignorant to each oth This book made me think about my Grandmother's funeral years ago， where two of my family members who'd had a huge falling out reconnected。 I remember thinking that it was nice that something good came out of such a sad day。 𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙍𝙪𝙩𝙝， 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙊𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚， 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧- 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 -𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙖𝙬。 All these characters are really flawed。 Obviously they care for each other but they're ignorant to each other's struggles in life and in grief。 The way they had no patience for Ollie， who's an 11 year old Autistic boy just trying to make sense of his father's death really made me mad。 But that was the point of the book - to watch as they learn compassion and understanding of others。 I wavered between 3 and 4 stars through the whole book and I still can't decide so I'm going with the 'glass half full' attitude and giving 4⭐Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted copy。 Released June 22 。。。more
Marianne
，
“Can I do that puzzle， Dad， the one that tells you what it means to be alive？”This Shining Life is the first novel by British author， Harriet Kline。 When nearly-eleven-year-old Ollie’s father dies， dealing with the avalanche of grief that surrounds him is a challenge。 Rich was a cheese-loving， party-throwing joyous individual， loved by almost all who encountered him。 Dad was the person who quizzed him on football teams and national capitals， helping to distract him from things that caused a melt “Can I do that puzzle， Dad， the one that tells you what it means to be alive？”This Shining Life is the first novel by British author， Harriet Kline。 When nearly-eleven-year-old Ollie’s father dies， dealing with the avalanche of grief that surrounds him is a challenge。 Rich was a cheese-loving， party-throwing joyous individual， loved by almost all who encountered him。 Dad was the person who quizzed him on football teams and national capitals， helping to distract him from things that caused a meltdown。Ollie is different。 He might be described as neuro-diverse， but his mum， Carrie simply says “It’s just how his brain’s wired。 If he can’t see the world as we do， then we have to honour that。” Ollie loves things to be neat and correct。 “I love puzzles。 Killer sudoku are my favourite but I like word ladders and codewords too。 They make me happy， but only when they’re finished。 If they go wrong or I have to rub something out and the page gets creased， I get itchy under my fingernails”And “When there’s a thread in my sock， wriggling against my skin， I’m supposed to act as though it isn’t there。 But it makes my feet feel blurry if the threads move around。 I can only ignore it if I do a sudoku。 Then I get told off for being rude because I’m ignoring everything else。” Also “I hate it when people ask me two questions at once because I don’t know which one to answer first。”Given a poor prognosis， Rich concentrates on enjoying the life he has remaining， being with those he loves。 “He started telling me then that being alive was like a puzzle and it was all falling into place” When he makes a list of gifts he plans to give them， Ollie concludes “each present gives a clue about being alive。” So when Rich dies， this is the puzzle that Ollie fixates on: he will understand what it means to be alive。 Of course， that doesn’t quite go to plan。 Ollie is a smart boy: “Rich realized， as he watched him， that he was gathering information。 He might have no instinct for being with people and he took scarce pleasure in their company， but it was obvious that he was making an effort to understand。 He was storing up his observations and somehow， in the future， he would put them to use。”But Ollie is too young and perhaps too literal， to understand the reactions of those beloved。 Carrie’s grief as a widow overlays her ongoing depression; her sister， Nessa is well-intentioned but lacks sensitivity to what others really need; their mother Angran， still determined to triumph over her abandonment by the father of her two small daughters， has no idea of how to mother， to show affection。Rich’s father， Gerald plagued by tinnitus and encroaching dementia， holds fast to the importance of rules and manners at the expense of accepting difference; his wife， Marjorie initially seems focussed on appearances。 Kline paints the many faces of grief with skill and feeling。 Her characters are appealing for all their very human flaws， and Ollie is likely to find a spot in the hearts of many readers。 And while a happy ending with this plot is difficult， a hopeful one can be， and is， achieved。 A beautifully written， moving debut novel。This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Transworld Publishers。 。。。more
Luz Trevino
，
This Shinning LifeRating: 3 starsThank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review。 All opinions are my own。TW: Death of a parent due to cancer， strained relationship between mother and daughterThis Shinning Life tells the sad story of how a family is trying to cope with the loss of a husband/father/son to cancer。 Each chapter is a member of the family and tells the reader what is happening to the family and how they are dealing with this great loss。 In the middle of this This Shinning LifeRating: 3 starsThank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review。 All opinions are my own。TW: Death of a parent due to cancer， strained relationship between mother and daughterThis Shinning Life tells the sad story of how a family is trying to cope with the loss of a husband/father/son to cancer。 Each chapter is a member of the family and tells the reader what is happening to the family and how they are dealing with this great loss。 In the middle of this we have Ollie， who's autistic， his father is who passed away and it he who breaks my heart and trying to understand what is happening around him and trying to solve a puzzle that his father left for him。This story has mostly sad moments so be forewarned。 There are very few happy moments that Rich had after his prognosis， but yet those when told by Ruth's point of view felt strained。 I did like that Ruth stood up to her mother towards the end of the book。 。。。more
Energy
，
Unfortunately， This Shining Life wasn’t the right fit for me。 Ollie’s chapters are different from the others because he is a child， but I couldn’t get on board with that writing style。 It was repetitive and made the first half of the book almost impossible for me to get through。 If I hadn’t received this as an ARC from Random House， I probably wouldn’t have finished reading this。 Once we passed the 60% mark， the story starts to come together with less repetition and feeling less disjointed。 Had Unfortunately， This Shining Life wasn’t the right fit for me。 Ollie’s chapters are different from the others because he is a child， but I couldn’t get on board with that writing style。 It was repetitive and made the first half of the book almost impossible for me to get through。 If I hadn’t received this as an ARC from Random House， I probably wouldn’t have finished reading this。 Once we passed the 60% mark， the story starts to come together with less repetition and feeling less disjointed。 Had the entire book read the same way， I think I would have enjoyed it more。 It’s important to come into this book knowing we start with loss， that there is a lot of grief， and you need to be in the right mindset while reading this。 The author discusses many real-world issues， including death， grief， healing， depression， trauma， dementia， and autism。 While this wasn’t the right fit for me， I encourage other interested readers to give it a chance。 。。。more
Amy Sunshine
，
I requested this from #NetGalley because the description reminded me a little of "The Curious Incident"， but it was very different from what I expected。 It deals with a lot of heavy issues - from terminal illness/death to autism， depression and mental health to childhood trauma， strained relationships and aging parents。 Told in alternating voices， the characters are dealing with the grief of losing their husband/son/father/friend and the story of how they navigate this process is honest and raw。 I requested this from #NetGalley because the description reminded me a little of "The Curious Incident"， but it was very different from what I expected。 It deals with a lot of heavy issues - from terminal illness/death to autism， depression and mental health to childhood trauma， strained relationships and aging parents。 Told in alternating voices， the characters are dealing with the grief of losing their husband/son/father/friend and the story of how they navigate this process is honest and raw。 At times， it felt overwhelming。 But I'm glad I stuck with it。 We all need the reminder that life can be short so make the most of everyday。Thanks to @atRandom and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #ThisShiningLife。 The opinions expressed here are entirely my own。 。。。more
Elite Group
，
What an extraordinary novel。 One of the best books to be published in 2021。Rich is too young to die from a brain tumour。 His young son Ollie needs special love and care。 His wife， Ruth， is fragile and very much under her mother， Angran’s thumb。 Nessa， Ruth’s sister and one of his oldest friends might be brave and feisty on the outside， but she’s going to miss his constant presence in her life。 His father Gerald is at the onset of dementia and his mother Marjorie is struggling to keep the peace b What an extraordinary novel。 One of the best books to be published in 2021。Rich is too young to die from a brain tumour。 His young son Ollie needs special love and care。 His wife， Ruth， is fragile and very much under her mother， Angran’s thumb。 Nessa， Ruth’s sister and one of his oldest friends might be brave and feisty on the outside， but she’s going to miss his constant presence in her life。 His father Gerald is at the onset of dementia and his mother Marjorie is struggling to keep the peace between Gerald and Ollie because he’s “different” and loves doing sudokus and naming all the players in the football league。 Rich wants to buy each family member a present to cherish after his passing。 He spends hours choosing the presents but leaves the packing to Ollie and unfortunately， Ollie gets things muddled。 We follow Rich， Ruth， Ollie， Nessa， Marjorie， Gerald and Angran as they come to terms， first with the diagnosis and then in the weeks after Rich’s death。 Their desperate despair and being so alone。 Angran’s insistence that she’s the only person who can help Ruth。 The slow decline of Gerald。 But most of all， Ollie trying to make sense of the world。 I don’t want to spoil the experience of reading this novel by giving any more details。 What I want to is say that Harriet Kline has captured her characters in perfect detail。 Ollie will help so many other parents or people not knowing anything about the autism spectrum understand about these incredibly unique beings who come into our lives with thought processors operating on a different wavelength the what’s considered “normal”。 Harriet also blew me away with how she captures Gerald slow decline into dementia。 I think having read this book I can say that I now have a far better understanding of what it must be like living with the disease。 How each day another tiny little thing might be too difficult to remember， yet on other days， lucidity might be almost normal。 This is a storyline that captures ordinary people dealing with situations that are anything but normal。 Harriet Kline， Bravo！ You’ve opened my eyes with your beautiful pictures painted in words and I will forever be in your debt。 I thought I understood both dementia and autism， I didn’t until seeing them through your writing。 RonyElite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review。 。。。more
Georgina
，
A beautiful book exploring a challenging subject matter - how a young child deals with the death of his father。 It is obviously not a happy read in the traditional sense， due to the upsetting content around which it is based， but This Shining Life somehow ends up being a really beautiful， moving， and ultimately surprisingly uplifting exploration of how to move on after your life has been changed forever。 I also want to note its incredibly empathetic portrayal of autism - Ollie， our main characte A beautiful book exploring a challenging subject matter - how a young child deals with the death of his father。 It is obviously not a happy read in the traditional sense， due to the upsetting content around which it is based， but This Shining Life somehow ends up being a really beautiful， moving， and ultimately surprisingly uplifting exploration of how to move on after your life has been changed forever。 I also want to note its incredibly empathetic portrayal of autism - Ollie， our main character， has autism。 However unlike many other characters in books who have this condition， he is in no way a cliche or stereotype， instead being an incredibly well created character who is entirely unique。 So 10/10 on that front！3。5 stars rounded down to 3。Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley。 This has not affected my review in any way， and all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Carolyn
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This is a bitter sweet novel about death and grief as well as life and living。 Richard， Rich to his friends， a young husband and father， is diagnosed with an untreatable brain tumour and told he doesn’t have long to live。 He is a cheerful， joyous man who loves life， parties， his family and friends。 Over the weeks following his diagnosis and then his death we see how his dying impacts on his wife Ruth， his autistic son Ollie， his wife’s mother and sister and his own mother and father who is in th This is a bitter sweet novel about death and grief as well as life and living。 Richard， Rich to his friends， a young husband and father， is diagnosed with an untreatable brain tumour and told he doesn’t have long to live。 He is a cheerful， joyous man who loves life， parties， his family and friends。 Over the weeks following his diagnosis and then his death we see how his dying impacts on his wife Ruth， his autistic son Ollie， his wife’s mother and sister and his own mother and father who is in the process of losing himself in dementia。 Ruth is thrown into a deep depression by Richard’s death and can’t cope with Ollie’s obsessive rituals。 Rich was always the one who could deal with his meltdowns and get him to laugh。 Ollie is having trouble understanding what it means to die。 Before Richard died he carefully chose a present to send each of the family to remember him by and got Ollie to help him post them。 Ollie likes to do puzzles and thinks the meaning of the gifts forms part of a puzzle his father left him to solve to help him understand the secret of life。 Although， the book is achingly sad， there are also lighter moments and moments of joy。 The characters are beautifully drawn， each with their own flaws and misunderstandings of each other。 Ollie’s character is particularly sweet as he tries to understand the world around him and get people absorbed in their own grief to listen to his questions。 Rich’s death will force them all to become more forgiving of each other and accept that love can come in many forms。 With thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for a copy to read 。。。more
Linda Hepworth
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I found this a deeply moving and empathetic portrayal of a family struggling to cope in the aftermath of the premature death of a loved one。 By exploring how each of the characters felt and behaved， as well as showing their individual perspectives on shared experiences， the author not only added layers of emotional depth to her storytelling， but also very effectively demonstrated that there is no magic ‘blue print’ for successfully negotiating the bereavement and the grieving process。 How indivi I found this a deeply moving and empathetic portrayal of a family struggling to cope in the aftermath of the premature death of a loved one。 By exploring how each of the characters felt and behaved， as well as showing their individual perspectives on shared experiences， the author not only added layers of emotional depth to her storytelling， but also very effectively demonstrated that there is no magic ‘blue print’ for successfully negotiating the bereavement and the grieving process。 How individuals deal with it is influenced by so many factors， only some of which are directly connected to the relationship they’d had with the deceased。 Any bereavement can stir up memories of earlier losses， particularly any negative feelings which weren’t dealt with at the time; it can also trigger old resentments and conflicts， opening up emotional wounds in ways which feel raw and visceral。 However， as Harriet Kline’s characters discover， acknowledging and dealing with these feelings can be a catalyst for change and can help to begin to lay to rest these ‘ghosts’ of the past。 In addition to her reflections on the grieving process， through Marjorie and Gerald the author included some very poignant and well-informed insights into how each of them was being affected by his inexorable descent into the horrors of dementia。 Her portrayal of the struggles each of them was facing – he， in an inevitably muddled way， realising that he was losing himself as well as his son， whereas she， with her all too acute clarity， was trying to deal with the loss of both her son and her husband – was superbly well-handled。 Of all the characters in this story， the two who will remain in my mind， and my heart， for a long time to come are Marjorie and Ollie。 Although there were many moments when the author’s portrayal of the rawness of her characters’ grief， anger， depression， despair， confusion etc felt almost unbearable to read， she introduced enough moments of humour （both light and dark！） to provide some much welcome relief。 For me this was yet another example of her understanding that there are many ‘faces’ to grief and that we need to be able to embrace all of them if we are to move forward and once again embrace the joys of life。 。。。more
Robin
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A family has been devastated by the death of Rich， who left a wife and ten year old autism spectrum son， Ollie。 Dying from cancer， Rich selected gifts for each family member that would be a special surprise， and Ollie helped to pack and mail them。 Somehow the gifts were mixed up and the book deals with the emotions of all those involved。 This character driven story explores the personalities of the family。 Thanks to NetGalley for sending me this ARC。 It will be published in June 2021。
Alissa
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This Shining Life is a book narrated by various family members in the weeks before and after the death of Rich， husband of Ruth and father of Ollie。 The first half of the book （part 1） jumps back and forth across time and across perspectives and makes it very disjointed and hard to really become engrossed in the story or sympathetic to any one character。 By the last 1/3 of the book， the story is told more directly and it became a better and easier read。 In the description from NetGalley， I was i This Shining Life is a book narrated by various family members in the weeks before and after the death of Rich， husband of Ruth and father of Ollie。 The first half of the book （part 1） jumps back and forth across time and across perspectives and makes it very disjointed and hard to really become engrossed in the story or sympathetic to any one character。 By the last 1/3 of the book， the story is told more directly and it became a better and easier read。 In the description from NetGalley， I was intrigued by the idea that Ollie， a boy described by his father as smart and strange， was determined to solve a puzzle and clues left for him by his deceased father。 I anticipated more of a game with clues dispensed throughout the story。。。 Sort of a mystery or fun that the readers shares with Ollie。 But that isn't what happens。 Instead， Ollie is left confused and obsessed with finding out why his father gifted specific items to each of his relatives and what those gifts and relatives can teach Ollie about the meaning of life。 Ultimately， this book had too much sadness and depression with not enough corresponding uplifting moments （perhaps because the character who knows how to make any moment fun is the one who dies？！？） to be as enjoyable as I'd have liked。 NOTE: Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Anne
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You need to be prepared for this book; it's very depressing and often hard to read。 Maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset to read it because it has gotten rave reviews so take this with a grain of salt （I had to have a margarita）！ Ollie is eleven and autistic when his father dies unexpectedly from a brain tumor。 His family is devastated but Ollie can't make any sense of it until he believes his father left him a puzzle with gifts for everyone; he's convinced if he solves the puzzle he will un You need to be prepared for this book; it's very depressing and often hard to read。 Maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset to read it because it has gotten rave reviews so take this with a grain of salt （I had to have a margarita）！ Ollie is eleven and autistic when his father dies unexpectedly from a brain tumor。 His family is devastated but Ollie can't make any sense of it until he believes his father left him a puzzle with gifts for everyone; he's convinced if he solves the puzzle he will understand "what it feels to be alive。" Told from alternating perspectives， we see a family struggling to heal but the focus is on Ollie who is in his own little world; one of his family members calls him "defective。" You'd think living with an autistic child， you'd learn ways to help him cope。 But there is some closure at the end and we see how this life could be "shining。" It is an impressive debut and I will read more of Kline's work as it's clear she's talented。Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC！ 。。。more
Rachel Axford
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This is a beautifully written story about a family dealing with the prognosis and then death of Richard。 Rich is the husband， father， son， son in law and friend to people who love him dearly。 The book is full of empathy and understanding not just of grief and bereavement， but also the confusing world of autism and dementia。
Joann
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So， know in advance that this one is sad。 Touching sad。 The novel is centered around a family coming to terms with a death。 It is in parts and each part has a different perspective/focus。 In part one， we have Rich's story before he passes away， and much from Ollie， who is autistic， and is trying the best he can to understand what is happening in his family。 A little mystery ensues as we are left with many questions headed into the next sections。 Part two we focus on the grieving and trying to de So， know in advance that this one is sad。 Touching sad。 The novel is centered around a family coming to terms with a death。 It is in parts and each part has a different perspective/focus。 In part one， we have Rich's story before he passes away， and much from Ollie， who is autistic， and is trying the best he can to understand what is happening in his family。 A little mystery ensues as we are left with many questions headed into the next sections。 Part two we focus on the grieving and trying to decipher the meaning behind the objects left behind by Rich by each family member。 They each get the wrong gifts， due to a mixup， and we are taken on their journeys of exploring how they piece it all together。 This part was a little long/slow for me， but still enjoyable to watch it unfold。 Finally， we focus on Ollie and his wanting to give the perfect gift for each family member and his personalized quest for the elusive meaning of life and what it all means。 I loved this book。 It was hard at times， it brought up "stuff" for me with family， death and struggling to make sense of things beyond my control。 It left me sad， but full in my heart。 Thankful for the ARC on this one！ 。。。more
Cheri
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This story begins with Ollie telling the story， from his perspective， the perspective of a young boy with autism， whose father， Rich， has just died。 Before， though， his father had Ollie help him arrange gifts for those he knew he would be leaving behind。 He knew that his brain tumor was incurable。 He is trying to bring comfort， a token of remembrance， of him and his love for them all。 These gifts， he told Ollie， would help him solve the puzzle of what it means to be alive。 He gives Ollie a pair This story begins with Ollie telling the story， from his perspective， the perspective of a young boy with autism， whose father， Rich， has just died。 Before， though， his father had Ollie help him arrange gifts for those he knew he would be leaving behind。 He knew that his brain tumor was incurable。 He is trying to bring comfort， a token of remembrance， of him and his love for them all。 These gifts， he told Ollie， would help him solve the puzzle of what it means to be alive。 He gives Ollie a pair of binoculars that ’smell of old books’ unread ’for a very long time。’It isn’t long before Ollie realizes that everything has gone awry， the packages have ended up with the wrong people， and he is desperate to correct this。 If he can’t， he will never know what it really means to be alive。 Ollie begins to unravel， desperate to restore each gift to the person they were meant for， that is the only way for him to know what it means to be alive。The cast of characters in this story include his grieving mother， Ruth， who is struggling to get out of bed and watch over Ollie。 Nessa， his aunt and Ruth’s sister and their mother Angran。 Gerald， his father’s father， and Marjorie， his father’s mother。 But this story belongs most of all to Ollie， who has a desperate need to restore everything to the way it was supposed to be， and to solve the puzzle。 He doesn’t ever want to cry about his father’s death， he is completely focused on figuring out the right answers in order to solve the puzzle his father left him。 The frustration and obsession take their toll on him， but no one is listening to what he is really saying。 He needs to fix the package mix-up in order to solve it and make everything right again。I struggled through the first half of this and set it aside despite it being a relatively quick read。 Time-wise， I could have easily finished this 336 page book in one sitting if I’d been engaged， but I wasn’t。 Ollie’s so obsessed， naturally， over the same thing， it gets a bit repetitive in nature， but the second half it did pick up a bit more。 A story about love and loss， families， and the pain and sorrow that accompanies losing a loved one。 Perhaps most of all， listening beyond just words。 Pub Date: 22 Jun 2021Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Random House / Dial Press Trade Paperback 。。。more
Sarah Krause
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I just finished this ebook。It’s a beautiful， heartbreaking little story of a father dying of a brain tumour， and his family around him。 How they all react and cope/don’t cope， with what life has thrown them。 I think Rich （the dad） had a beautiful outlook on life， and death。 I found his mother’s parts the saddest to read。 She made me cry。 And his Dad too。 At times I found them all a bit frustrating- I wanted them to all be quiet and sit down and talk and actually listen to each other - particular I just finished this ebook。It’s a beautiful， heartbreaking little story of a father dying of a brain tumour， and his family around him。 How they all react and cope/don’t cope， with what life has thrown them。 I think Rich （the dad） had a beautiful outlook on life， and death。 I found his mother’s parts the saddest to read。 She made me cry。 And his Dad too。 At times I found them all a bit frustrating- I wanted them to all be quiet and sit down and talk and actually listen to each other - particularly Ollie， but I guess that would not have been a very interesting book。 Harriet Kline writes grief exceptionally well。 Oh and how beautiful is this cover？ 。。。more
Janall
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Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。WOW！！ Never have a read a story with such richly drawn real characters。 This is the story of a man named Rich who is died of an inoperable brain tumor。 But its not about death， it about life and love and the flawed wonderful people who make life worth living。 His son Ollie， a bright boy on the autism spectrum， who is trying to make sense of it all。 Rich promised to tell him what it means to b Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。WOW！！ Never have a read a story with such richly drawn real characters。 This is the story of a man named Rich who is died of an inoperable brain tumor。 But its not about death， it about life and love and the flawed wonderful people who make life worth living。 His son Ollie， a bright boy on the autism spectrum， who is trying to make sense of it all。 Rich promised to tell him what it means to be alive， but didn’t get to， and now he is on a quest to figure it out。 Rich’s wife， Ruth who has struggled with depression came to rely on his strength to make everything all right。 Her sister Nessa， who was his friend first and has to put aside her own grief to pull her sister from the abyss。 I especially want to call out how beautifully the author portrayed the parents- Rich’s father Gerald， mid way into dementia。 His mudded thoughts and the agony that comes from losing your son while losing yourself。 Marjorie losing her son and husband at the same time。And finally Ruth and Nessa’s mother Angram who ALWAYS says and does the wrong thing。 She loves them so fiercely that she cannot express it。 She raised them as a single mom， and is the very definition of “love blocked” （ parents who’s river of love is there but blocked by the debris of life and is unable to flow to child）。All of these characters have a lot to learn and together figure out what it means to be alive。 。。。more
Jennifer
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A beautifully written meditation on the meaning of life， and a deep dive exploration on the effects of trauma on a family。 While I loved the idea of the story and the writing style， the structure of the book read a little unevenly for me， personally。 Part One includes Rich's story and perspective and is quite magical。 The reader also experiences Ollie's future tense perspective on the events of the story， one which is full of holes。 This is a great metaphorical way to both get inside the brain o A beautifully written meditation on the meaning of life， and a deep dive exploration on the effects of trauma on a family。 While I loved the idea of the story and the writing style， the structure of the book read a little unevenly for me， personally。 Part One includes Rich's story and perspective and is quite magical。 The reader also experiences Ollie's future tense perspective on the events of the story， one which is full of holes。 This is a great metaphorical way to both get inside the brain of someone with Autism （who struggles to make connections that occur naturally for the rest of the family） and to place questions in the reader's mind that will thankfully be answered later in the book （although rarely to Ollie's satisfaction。）Part Two is more of an exploration of grief and the story of these various objects Rich has bequeathed to family members。 Due to a mixup， everyone gets the wrong gift。 But the story explores how they undertake the mental gymnastics of finding ways to make this the RIGHT gift and find meaning and purpose in them。 This section is a bit slower。。。and lacking from the loss of Rich's perspective （but perhaps that's a metaphor？）Part Three was， for me， the weakest section。 It's about Ollie's quest to get everyone the right gift and a dramatic escalation of the tensions and plot that has been carefully laid the entire book in the service of answering Ollie's big question: "what is the meaning of life？" This section felt like it was trying very hard to tie up loose ends， which felt ironic when the ultimate conclusion was that sometimes life doesn't give you all the answers。 Like I said， the three sections didn't always create an even ride for me personally。 However the characters are all well rendered and the idea behind the story is a beautiful one。 Often we are shown the same scene from a different character's perspective， which adds layers of richness。 In a way， the writing style very much mimics the storytelling within families themselves--everyone seeing things from the vantage point in which they are decidedly the hero。 Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ágnes Palásthy
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This is a beautifully written， heartbreaking story of a dysfunctional family right before and right after the death of a central figure in their lives。 Rich was the axis of their world。 His death works like a catalyst: it starts subtle changes in his grieving family members。They learn to lay the ghosts of the past and take a leaf from Rich and embrace life。 This shining life。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=This Shining Life
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=This Shining Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,This Shining Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0