Friday, May 22, 2015

Before I Go by Colleen Oakley


Reviewed by Meygan

Daisy loves her life, especially her husband, her dog, and graduate school. Oh, and being cancer free. Developing breast cancer in her early twenties was rough to say the least, but she is elated that she and her husband celebrate an anniversary (referred to as “Cancerversary”) for Daisy being cancer free. Everything seems to be falling into place for Daisy and Jack—so much that they have started discussing the possibility of having children. On the day before her third “Cancerversary”, Daisy goes to the doctor for a checkup. Daisy is beyond devastated to hear that not only has her cancer returned, but it is quickly progressing and spreading throughout her body. The doctors have given Daisy about six months to live—a year if she is lucky. Living in a house that needs to be remodeled, Daisy is constantly adding things to her To-Do List: caulk the windows, fix the floor, etc, etc, etc. As Daisy lies in bed one night next to Jack, she notices that there is yet again another pile of his dirty socks beside the bed. She states that if it weren’t for her, the pile could easily turn in to a mountain. Then that’s when it hits her—what will happen to Jack after she dies? Sure, he is about to graduate and will soon be a veterinarian, but he isn’t the best cook in the world and the house would never be cleaned if it weren’t for Daisy. As much as it pains her to think about Jack moving on after she dies, she knows that Jack must continue to live. So the next item she adds to her To-Do List is to find Jack a new wife, someone who can help lift his spirits whenever Daisy is no longer there to do so.


Let me say that there many moments where I laughed out loud because Daisy is so funny and honest. The characters felt so “alive” that I felt as if I knew them. Shockingly enough, I didn’t cry as much as I thought I would base on the book’s description. Yes, there were sad moments, especially when Daisy keeps reiterating that she will die and those parts were excruciatingly sad However, I thought Oakley did a fine job with making the book enjoyable, especially with such a serious topic. I highly recommend Before I Go and I hope to read more books by Colleen Oakley in the near future! 

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