"Love is a many splendored thing"
P.S. I Love You
by Cecelia Ahern
"P.S. I Love You" is about dealing with the loss of a loved one, in this a spouse. Imagine thinking you have your whole life stretched out before you with them only to discover they are dying. Upon their death you are not sure how you will go on. Your spouse was your rock and your future. This is what Holly Kennedy is faced with. How does she move on with her life after her great love, Gerry? She just wants to sit around and cry about his death. Gerry had other plans though and wrote ten letters to Holly, extending their relationship and helping Holly down the road to forming a new life without him.
Ahern wrote the character of Holly stunningly. She taps into the emotions of the grieving widow in a shocking way since she is a relatively young writer who has not grieved the death of her spouse, in fact I do not believe she is married. Ahern understands human emotions obviously and because of this she creates this ravishing masterpiece of learning that even after someone we love dies we have to still live. We can't allow ourselves to die simply because they have. It takes Holly awhile to learn this lesson, but she ultimately does. The journey of her getting there is hysterical, sweet, and breathe-taking all at the same time. Each moment culminates together like each stroke of a paintbrush working to create a lavish painting. One moment taken away from this novel would have decreased its worth significantly.
A particular nice aspect that she adds to the story is the reality of discovering who your friends are upon death. In real life we can discover who is there for us when dark times come rolling in and we all know they will at times. Those people that are there for us are true friends and Ahern showcases that here. She also does a masterful job of showcasing that it isn't always the people we thought it would be and that people we disliked at one point of our lives can prove to be our rock in the storm. I found this added element to be realistic and needed, so Ahern's inclusion strengthened the book beyond what it could have been otherwise.
Yes, there is a point where the reader wants to say, "just get over it already" but this doesn't happen until near the end. To have her grieving for Gerry for the great length of the story and not feel this way long before you arrive there is simply awe-inspiring and shows just how wonderful a tale Ahern has created. It was nice that when you get that feeling she indeed does get over it, as best as can be said when someone is grieving. Outside of this one simple flaw, which is it really?, there isn't much to be upset about.
I would highly recommend this book to individuals that are looking for a simpler read about an important part of the human experience. Grieving the loss of a loved one is natural and not everyone knows how to deal with it. Ahern captures grieving realistically and shows that everyone has their own time schedule. The time spent reading this is well worth it.
Until next time... Stay Optimistic!!!
