The Kindest Thing

De: Cath Staincliffe

Narrado por: Anne Dover

Here is a love story, a modern nightmare, and an honest and incisive portrayal of a woman who honours her husband's wish to die and finds herself in the dock for murder.

When Deborah reluctantly helps her beloved husband Neil end his life and conceals the truth, she is charged with murder. As the trial unfolds and her daughter Sophie testifies against her, Deborah, still reeling with grief, fights to defend her actions. Twelve jurors hold her fate in their hands; if found guilty she will serve a life sentence.

Deborah seeks solace in her memories of Neil and the love they shared. An ordinary woman caught up in an extraordinary situation. A book that begs the question: what would you do?

©2010 Cath Staincliffe (P)2010 Soundings

Thought Provoking

This thought-provoking book really played with my emotions; I could relate to many of the themes in direct and indirect ways and therefore I was immediately drawn deep into the story and found the book hard to put down.

This would be a great pick for a book club since it’s full of heavy topics to discuss in great depth:

• The fear of some horrible unexpected degenerative medical condition hitting you in the prime of life.
• The fear of some horrible unexpected degenerative medical condition hitting your spouse in the prime of life.
• The agony of your life being under someone else’s control and being judged so heavily and with such dire consequences by someone who doesn’t know you.
• The entire “dying with dignity / assisted suicide” issue, which is also currently in our Canadian Headlines at the moment with the passing of Bill 44-28.

I thought it was a great novel that really handled a delicate topic with insight. I wonder if personalizing a case like this would ever change someone’s mind about whether or not euthanasia is acceptable or reprehensible?

I feel like I was put through an emotional wringer and spit out at the other end - I am spent after reading this book and want to move on to some lighter fare!