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A review by brooke_review
Better by Far by Hazel Hayes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
For Kate, grief is twofold. Not only is she suffering from complicated grief surrounding the death of her mother when Kate was only 9 years old, she is also grappling with the end of a six year relationship with a man, who frankly, got too many chances.
To further complicate matters, Kate and her ex, Finn, recently rented a home together and the lease is not yet up. The former couple come up with the solution of alternating weeks living in the house until February when they can finally wash their hands of the rental (and their relationship) for good. We leave so much of ourselves behind in our homes, which Kate soon discovers, and it makes moving on after a painful break-up all the more difficult. Kate can’t help but imagine her former lover in their shared space; can’t help but picture what he gets up to and who he has over when it is his week in the home.
As time moves forward, Kate finds herself reeling backward, spending a lot of time in her mind imagining and reimagining her mother’s death and everything that went wrong between her and Finn. To everything there is a season, and Kate is spending this one coming to terms with what it means to lose and love. Adrift in a lonely world in search of solid ground, Kate must make space for herself in her own life amidst the rubble of what once was.
Hazel Hayes’s new novel, Better By Far, is an introspective, poignant look at loss and what it means to move forward in life when so much is holding you back. Hazel Hayes has a beautiful, raw way of exposing the truths of life and love. While her novels often take a quiet, sullen approach to plot and characterization, they are written in such an honest way that the reader can’t help but see their own thoughts and feelings blazenly splashed across the page.
Better By Far will likely be triggering for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one, either by death or disconnect. For those wading deep in grief, this novel may not be for you; but for those who are finding themselves in a better place following loss, reading Better By Far will be like sitting down for a therapeutic chat with a good friend.
To further complicate matters, Kate and her ex, Finn, recently rented a home together and the lease is not yet up. The former couple come up with the solution of alternating weeks living in the house until February when they can finally wash their hands of the rental (and their relationship) for good. We leave so much of ourselves behind in our homes, which Kate soon discovers, and it makes moving on after a painful break-up all the more difficult. Kate can’t help but imagine her former lover in their shared space; can’t help but picture what he gets up to and who he has over when it is his week in the home.
As time moves forward, Kate finds herself reeling backward, spending a lot of time in her mind imagining and reimagining her mother’s death and everything that went wrong between her and Finn. To everything there is a season, and Kate is spending this one coming to terms with what it means to lose and love. Adrift in a lonely world in search of solid ground, Kate must make space for herself in her own life amidst the rubble of what once was.
Hazel Hayes’s new novel, Better By Far, is an introspective, poignant look at loss and what it means to move forward in life when so much is holding you back. Hazel Hayes has a beautiful, raw way of exposing the truths of life and love. While her novels often take a quiet, sullen approach to plot and characterization, they are written in such an honest way that the reader can’t help but see their own thoughts and feelings blazenly splashed across the page.
Better By Far will likely be triggering for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one, either by death or disconnect. For those wading deep in grief, this novel may not be for you; but for those who are finding themselves in a better place following loss, reading Better By Far will be like sitting down for a therapeutic chat with a good friend.