Shriver has admitted that she tackles "precisely the subjects that everyone yearns to avoid”. The subject of Should we Stay or Should we Go is one of those, namely old age and how to deal with it.

The story opens when the couple, Cyril and Kay, who both work for the British National Health Service, are in their 50s. Kay's father has recently passed away after a long period of dementia and Kay is so worn out she cannot even feel pain at his loss. At this point Cyril comes up with his infamous suggestion that they make a pact to exit from the world once Kay reaches 80, as it appears to them - and this is where their experience in the health service comes in - that most lives go downhill from there on. The bulk of the novel concerns the period when they do reach that critical date and pursues a series of scenarios, some more realistic than others, but all treated in a fairly light-hearted way, which is even funny at times, of what happens at that stage.

The story is set in England on purpose, as it is, at present, a country where any form of assisted suicide is illegal. This rules out what might appear to be the most sensible option of consulting with family members at an appropriate point. Indeed, the reaction of the children of Kay and Cyril in those scenarios where the pact is foiled or avoided, is not such as to inspire much confidence in their support were there to be a different legal framework.

Shriver has said that she believes that fiction, rather than opinion pieces, is a more powerful instrument for changing people's minds. While she limits herself in this novel to presenting us with the scenarios without any overt recommendation, she certainly provides much food for thought. We are all going to get older and how we face the inevitable does need to be addressed.

I like this type of novel, the use of alternative narratives is intelligent and entertaining. The subject of the book is a really interesting question.

I think I would find Shriver confronting in person, but I do adore her novels. The fact she doesn't shy away from tough topics is exacting what I enjoy in her stories. This is the story of a married couple who plan to commit suicide when they reach 80 to avoid dementia and end life on a good note, and therein follows 12 alternate endings for Kay and Cyril.

Each story cleverly weaves in several recognisable details that are repeated slightly differently in each iteration, and yet Shriver manages to avoid feeling repetitive or monotonous. The conclusions run the gamut from utopia to dystopia and everything in between, including COVID, Brexit, health, financial and family issues and I loved all of them. I almost started reading it again from the start, and only my huge TBR pile convinced me otherwise.

I think everyone will take something different from this book, but I took a bit of comfort from the idea that best laid plans often go awry and a good life requires a little luck as well.

An interesting play with the concepts of alternative histories. It felt current with the 'splits' often happening in May 2020 without being too focused on what was occurring during that time. The different interpretations and iterations of Cyril and Kay's possible lives also reminded me a bit of the "Machine of Death" anthologies as they did veer slightly into different 'genres'.

2 1/2, rounded to 3. This is kind of a “Choose your own adventure” with a couple who have made a pact to commit suicide when they both turn 80. The pact was made because of Kay's father's decline into Alzheimer’s. The book then goes down several rabbit holes, posing different endings, depending on what Kay and Cyril choose to do.
I can’t say that this was a terrific read for me. It was, at times, bitter and depressing, and then sort of upbeat (but not really). I’m sort of surprised I stuck with it, however, the different endings kept me sort of engaged.

This book would have been infinitely better if not so obviously written by someone who’s convinced she’s right about everything

Huge Lionel Shriver fan, and I loved the first half-plus of this book. The scenarios got to be just a little much for me. But, man. What a brilliant concept.