The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer *****

 Death doula, death café, threshold choir. I never heard of any of these before reading The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer. Clover is a death doula. She sits with people who are close to dying–listening, handholding, honoring, and recording their last words (regrets, advice, confessions). Clover has never been in love or been kissed. She is hired for Claudia, 91 years old, a talented photographer who abandoned her career for marriage. Claudia’s regret is Hugo Beaufort, a lover from her last adventure before getting married. As Claudia’s doula, Clover searches for Hugo, an important adventure for Claudia and Clover. A beautiful novel of love and death.

With the death of her grandpa, Clover’s only friend is Leo, her 87-year-old neighbor, and, possibly, Miss Bessie who owns the bookstore that Clover has visited since she was six years old. She was 36 and her life revolved around waiting for people to die. She attempts friendships with Sylvie, who moves into her building, and Sebastian, who she met at a death café, and who hired her to be the death doula for his grandmother, Claudia.

She had never been in love or been kissed. Her first kiss with Sebastian is a disappointment.

Death Café: People, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death. Our objective is to increase awareness of death to help people make the most of their (finite) lives. A Death Cafe is a group-directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives, or themes. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counseling session.

Threshold Choir: Brings songs of comfort to the dying. It is a great honor to be of service to our clients and their families and caregivers during a tender stage of life. The opportunity to provide comfort and peace is a great motivation for Threshold Choir singers.

Quotes

“If you want something you don’t have, you have to do something you’ve never done.”

“I think it was more that she spent her whole life scrimping and saving... She ended up dying with all this money in the bank that she never spent.”

“Be cautiously reckless.”

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