BOOK
The Collected Regrets of Clover has so far been published in 26 languages and territories.
From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit, Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. Two decades later, when the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover decides to become a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process.
The thing is, Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own. That all changes when the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a roadtrip across the country, where she is forced to examine what she really wants, and whether she’ll have the courage to go after it.
Probing, clever, timely, and hopeful, The Collected Regrets of Clover turns the normally taboo subject of death into a reason to celebrate life. Along the way, it illuminates the little-known role of a "death doula" in our youth-obsessed society, as well as the experiences of isolation and loneliness that so many of us have grappled with in new ways over the last two years.
"This weird, lovely and sweetly satisfying novel [is] engaging and accessible...Clover's emergence from a shuttered life is moving enough to elicit tears, and Brammer's take on death and grieving is profound enough to feel genuinely instructional."
––The New York Times Book Review
“Who knew a book about death could be so uplifting ... This book is like a warm hug, with a lot to love.”
––NPR Best Books of 2023
"This is a beautiful tale of a vulnerable, compassionate woman who finds that, in order to care for others, she must also let herself be cared for. Even that cliché feels moving, rather than saccharine, in Brammer’s capable hands."
––Kirkus (starred review)
"The Collected Regrets of Clover is a warm-hearted, tender story of love, life-lessons and letting go. Full of wisdom, it’s a novel that handles with profound sensitivity and delicacy important questions that face us all, while fostering a joyful sense of hope for the future. Clover is a beguiling character who has so much more to offer the world than she knows, and it’s a sheer delight to watch as her horizons expand. The Collected Regrets of Clover leaves us contemplating what it means to live our lives to the full, without regrets. A beautiful, thought-provoking novel."
––Sarah Haywood, New York Times bestselling author of The Cactus
"While this heartwarming debut novel deals with death, it never becomes maudlin, instead focusing on what makes a life worth living. Readers who appreciate seeing quirky, isolated characters come into their own, such as in Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, will find much to love in this moving novel."
––Booklist
"For all its talk of death, The Collected Regrets of Clover is never dark or grim. This feel-good story is beautiful, heartwarming and ultimately hopeful."
––Reader's Digest