We All Want Impossible Things [B1162]

2023 PB. Edith and Ashley have been best friends for over forty-two years. They've shared the mundane and the momentous together: trick or treating and binge drinking; Gilligan's Island reruns and REM concerts; hickeys and heartbreak; surprise Scottish wakes; marriages, infertility, and children. As Ash says, "Edi's memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine." But now the unthinkable has happened. Edi is dying of ovarian cancer and spending her last days at a hospice near Ash, who stumbles into heartbreak surrounded by her daughters, ex(ish) husband, dear friends, a poorly chosen lover (or two), and a rotating cast of beautifully, fleetingly human hospice characters. As The Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack blasts all day long from the room next door, Edi and Ash reminisce, hold on, and try to let go. Meanwhile, Ash struggles with being an imperfect friend, wife, and parent-with life, in other words, distilled to its heartbreaking, joyful, and comedic essence. For anyone who's ever lost a friend or had one. Get ready to laugh through your tears.

From recent mixed Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Funny sad book about a friend in hospice, and all the ways life stops and continues and curlicues as she dies. I literally laughed and cried. Beautiful parenting, friendship, and grief elements."; "An amazing depiction of friendship, family and what it means to be a woman."; "A great book about friendship and a sad insight into losing someone very early and hospice life. I found Ash a complex character who was hard to like and the book lacking in depth."; "I really enjoyed this one. Somehow manages to be both introspective about death, family, and friends, without being super depressing. Especially since this seems to be based on a true story. Really enjoyed!"