Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Date of publication:
Dear Luke,
First let me say—I love you…I didn’t want to leave you…Luke Richardson has returned home after burying Natalie, his beloved wife of sixteen years, ready to face the hard job of raising their three children alone. But there’s something he’s not prepared for—a blue envelope with his name scrawled across the front in Natalie’s handwriting, waiting for him on the floor of their suburban Michigan home.
First let me say—I love you…I didn’t want to leave you…Luke Richardson has returned home after burying Natalie, his beloved wife of sixteen years, ready to face the hard job of raising their three children alone. But there’s something he’s not prepared for—a blue envelope with his name scrawled across the front in Natalie’s handwriting, waiting for him on the floor of their suburban Michigan home.
The letter inside, written on the first day of Natalie’s
cancer treatment a year ago, turns out to be the first of many. Luke is
convinced they’re genuine, but who is delivering them? As his obsession with
the letters grows, Luke uncovers long-buried secrets that make him question everything
he knew about his wife and their family. But the revelations also point the way
toward a future where love goes on—in written words, in memories, and in the
promises it’s never too late to keep.
Once again, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed When I'm Gone. I was worried that it would be too much of an emotional book for me to read, but that wasn't the case. Don't get me wrong, it is an emotional book, but I found myself quickly sucked into Luke's story and unable to stop until the end. Luke has just lost his wife Natalie to cancer. He has to now begin life as a single dad to his three kids at the same time handling his own grief. He starts to get letters from his dead wife in the mail. Through those he begins to learn that he might not have known his wife as well as he thought he did.
What I did like about this story was the way the author didn't hold back on the reality of what one goes through when losing a spouse. I thought the feelings and emotions that Luke had came across as very real and very raw. Especially once he starts learning how to move on without feeling guilty. As he begins to unearth Natalie's secrets, it made me think about how well you really know someone. I also had to wonder at Natalie's motivation for slowly revealing everything over time in letters after she died. In a way, it kind of seemed like a slow torture, but maybe it was better since he could slowly get used to them. I'm not sure what would be better.
I'm not going to go into too much of the plot. There are a few twists and surprises that the reader really should learn about along with Luke. My only complaint was the ending. For me it was too abrupt and kind of left me hanging. I'm never a fan of those. Despite that, I do recommend this one. It's an emotional ride, but definitely one worth taking.
About Emily Bleeker
Emily Bleeker is a former educator who discovered her
passion for writing after introducing a writer’s workshop to her students. She
soon found a whole world of characters and stories living inside of her mind.
It took a battle with a rare form of cancer to give her the courage to share
that amazing world with others. Emily lives in suburban Chicago with her
husband and four kids. Between writing and being a mom, she attempts to learn
guitar, sings along to the radio (loudly), and embraces her newfound addiction
to running. Connect with her or request a Skype visit with your book club atemilybleeker.wordpress.com.
Connect with Emily
Purchase Links
Emily Bleeker’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Monday, March 14th: Book
Mama Blog
Tuesday, March 15th: Why
Girls Are Weird
Wednesday, March 16th: Buried
Under Books
Thursday, March 17th: Bookaholics
Not-So-Anonymous
Monday, March 21st: Just
Commonly
Monday, March 21st: 5 Minutes for Books
Wednesday, March 23rd: Bibliotica
Thursday, March 24th: A
Chick Who Reads
Monday, March 28th: Books a la Mode
Monday, March 28th: Satisfaction for Insatiable
Readers
Tuesday, March 29th: Kritter’s Ramblings
Wednesday, March 30th: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, March 31st: Peeking Between the Pages
Monday, April 4th: BookNAround
Tuesday, April 5th: Mom in Love with Fiction
Wednesday, April 6th: Ace and Hoser Blog
Friday, April 8th: A Splendid Messy Life
1 comment:
I've often thought about what I would leave behind if I know my days were numbered ... it's a difficult thing to think about, but important as well.
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
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