‘For fans of Maggie O’Farrell and Jojo Moyes, this is a sweeping book of love, motherhood, death and hope’ STYLIST
‘Wonderfully assured’ THE TIMES
‘Pass the tissues…’ EVENING STANDARD
‘Lovely novel. Highly recommend’ JENNI MURRAY
‘Beautifully written’ THE SUN
‘Prepare for heartbreak’ WOMAN & HOME
‘A beautiful story’ LAURA PEARSON
‘Brilliant’ BELLA
Because there’s never enough time to say goodbye…
Sylvia knows that she’s running out of time. Very soon, she will exist only in the memories of those who loved her most and the pieces of her life she’s left behind.
So she begins to write her husband a handbook for when she’s gone, somewhere to capture the small moments of ordinary, precious happiness in their married lives. From raising their wild, loving son, to what to give their gentle daughter on her eighteenth birthday – it’s everything she should have told him before it was too late.
But Sylvia also has a secret, one that she’s saved until the very last pages. And it’s a moment in her past that could change everything…
Praise for For When I’m Gone:
‘Beautifully written, with powerful messages of hope’ KATHERINE WEBB
‘A moving portrait of a modern family in crisis’ FRANCESCA HORNAK
‘Ley took my breath away. Exquisitely written and deeply effective’ KATE WEINBERG
‘Heart-breaking. Beautifully written. Reminded me of Maggie O’Farrell’ REBECCA THORNTON
‘A beautiful, sharply observed tale of motherhood, complicated women and family dynamics’ CHARLOTTE PHILBY
‘Heartbreaking and yet uplifting… Rebecca Ley has written a wonderful debu’t JENNY QUINTANA
‘Rebecca Ley explores the need for love, forgiveness and remembrance that’s within us all’ WOMAN’S WEEKLY
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Reviews
It's heart-breaking. Beautifully written. Reminded me of Maggie O'Farrell.
A heartbreaking book, beautifully written and with messages of hope for the reader.
Wonderfully assured... For When I'm Gone is a sad novel because it could hardly be anything else, but Ley's crisp, witty writing keeps it firmly on the right side of mawkishness.
Rebecca Ley explores the need for love, forgiveness and remembrance that's within us all... The quality of writing, characters and hopeful ending makes the heartbreak easier to bear.
A beautiful, sharply observed tale of motherhood, complicated women and family dynamics.
Heartbreaking and yet uplifting... Rebecca Ley has written a wonderful debut.
A beautifully written, incredibly sad debut that will make you value living that little bit more. Five stars.
A moving portrait of a modern family in crisis.
Ley took my breath away. Exquisitely written and deeply effective.
Beautifully written, with powerful messages of hope.
We couldn't put down this brilliant book.