Hello Goodbye

In Emily Chenowith's heart-breaking  literary fiction debut novel, Hello Goodbye, she told us a beautiful heart-warming story about the Hansen family. They head to New Hampshire to spend one week together on vacation and for Abby's parents to celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary. But this wasn't any ordinary special occasion. It was going to be one for Helen, Abby and Elliott Hansen to remember. We seaw it through their eyes, when they dealt with Helen's terminal diagnosis of brain cancer, when she had three more months left to life. We watched how Helen handled her illness, how Abby and Elliott coped with it, when they celebrated life with family and friends. For Abby, as a college freshmen home for the summer, she experienced love and a rebellious streak, when she was in a love triangle of her own. For Elliott, it was how he prepared for the future and protected Abby from the truth, until the end. 


This was a moving literary fiction novel, since I haven't really much in that genre. This taught us about life, love and loss, and moving on from that moment forward on. I really felt sorry for Helen and Elliott, who wanted to make this trip special for Abby, while holding their own. For Abby, this was a new experience for her in love and dealing with the blow of losing her mother to cancer. When it was told from their POVs, it meshed and came together to form a beautiful story together. I loved the vast idyllic location of New Hampshire for the locations and settings.  This would touch your heart deep down inside with humor, drama, love and some intrigue.

Will you check out Hello Goodbye with a tissue box today?