Blurb:

When we go through something impossible, someone, or something, will help us, if we let them . . .
It is October 1966 and William Lavery is having the night of his life at his first black-tie do. But, as the evening unfolds, news hits of a landslide at a coal mine. It has buried a school: Aberfan.
William decides he must act, so he stands and volunteers to attend. It will be his first job as an embalmer, and it will be one he never forgets.
His work that night will force him to think about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to forget. But compassion can have surprising consequences, because – as William discovers – giving so much to others can sometimes help us heal ourselves.

Review:

I’ve heard a lot about A Terrible Kindness so I was interested to read it for myself. I know very little about the Aberfan disaster and I appreciated this opportunity to learn more. Jo Browning Wroe is a beautiful writer and she writes with so much emotion and tenderness that it is impossible not to be touched by the novel. However, the sections set in Aberfan only make up a small part of the story and I was expecting a little more detail.

A Terrible Kindness is the story of William, a character that Jo Browning Wroe has developed exceptionally well. It is clear from fairly early on that William is battling with the events of his past, and once again, the emotion shines through. It is this that made me root for William and hope that he would be able to resolve his personal issues and repair some of his broken relationships. I particularly enjoyed his relationship with Martin, as this allowed us to see a more lighthearted side of William. However, William doesn’t always behave in a likeable way.

The novel is set in different time frames, with some sections years apart. This means that there are several gaps, which are filled by incidents that are implied. I was intrigued by what had taken place in the intervening years and this kept me engaged in William’s story.

A Terrible Kindness had a strong emotional impact on me and I will remember William for a while yet.

A Terrible Kindness is available from Amazon.