The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos by Kelly Irvin

The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos by Kelly Irvin
Series: a standalone
Publisher: Thomas Nelson on December 5, 2023

REVIEW BY VERA DAY

This inspiring novel is based on Irvin’s real life experience with stage four ovarian cancer. In the Author’s Notes, she says, “I remember in intimate detail what it felt like to wait in a frigid exam room, barely able to breathe, in terror until a doctor walked in and changed my life forever.” Irvin manages to convey those details and that terror to the reader through the character of Sherrie who is diagnosed with cancer early in the story.

Sherrie is fifty-eight years old, a divorced mother and grandmother, and a kindergarten teacher. She’s a runner and a health nut. Sherri’s sister, Kristen, is an oncologist, also a mother and grandmother, and married. Kristen smokes (yeah, the irony!). Daniel is the neglected husband of Kristen.

Irvin tells the story from the alternating point of view of these three main characters. We also witness their faith journey, or lack thereof (no spoilers here).

Through her characters, Irvin addresses themes of marital endurance, childhood trauma, and especially what we try to fix vs what we place in God’s hands.

You’d think a book about such a serious cancer diagnosis would be depressing. But the way Irvin portrays Christian faith and the sisters’ relationship in the midst of the crisis is uplifting. There’s humor, too, as evidenced by one of many back-and-forth cremains-discussions between the sisters:

Sherrie: “So I’ve given it some more thought, and I want my ashes spread from the Great Wall of China–after you walk the whole thing.”

Kristen: “No problem. I want my ashes sprinkled on Mount Everest. You’re the Marathon runner. You can hike the highest mountain in the Himalayas.”

-Kelly Irvin, The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos

Besides being ultimately uplifting, the book is also educational. I learned how devastating cancer treatments can be to a person’s body, emotions, career, and family. I learned the difference between phase one treatment trials and phase two trials. I learned what a MUGA scan is.

If I have one complaint, it’s that the sisters and their surrounding friends and family seem obsessed with comfort food: cookies, lemonade, sweet tea, pies, cinnamon rolls, King Ranch casserole, and especially ice cream. The dissonance between trying to survive a health crisis and being surrounded by unhealthy foods twisted my brain. But maybe I’m being too judgy. If I had a serious cancer diagnosis, I’d probably curl up on the couch with a couple of pounds of chocolate, and my dear husband would probably get fat on pizza. So only half a fish off.

Overall, this is an emotional, informative, and gripping story. Highly recommended!

I read The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos through NetGalley.