‘How
long does a coma last?’ I ask.
‘Days, weeks, months?’ the
nurse replies with a shrug, although her eyes are very kind.
‘But
on average?’
She just smiles, unable to give me an
answer.
Wendy’s
life can be neatly divided into two: before and after.
Before
her husband’s car accident, it was just the two of them. They never
took the train at rush hour, and they avoided their noisy neighbour
upstairs. Naveem devoted
his spare time to vintage train models, and Wendy to re-reading the
well-thumbed pages of her favourite books. It didn’t matter what
others thought about their small, quiet life together – they were
happy.
After the coma, Wendy
barely recognises herself. When she’s not holding the love of her
life’s hand, accompanied by the beep of the life-support machine,
who is she? The nurse tells her to talk to Naveem – that he can
still hear her – but she doesn’t have a single thing to
say.
Suddenly Wendy can’t
bear the silence. She needs something, anything, to talk to Naveem
about. Suddenly she’s losing herself at fairgrounds packed with
crowds and candyfloss, she’s at the airport, waiting for the whoosh
of the planes as they take off, making friends with the neighbour she
has spent over a decade avoiding.
Knowing
that every breath her husband takes might be his last, Wendy has no
choice but to try to carry on without him. Should she feel guilty
about living while his life is on pause? And when – if – he wakes
up, will he still love the woman she has become?
This
poignant, moving and uplifting tale is for anyone who has taken life
for granted, neglected to say ‘I love you’ to their loved ones,
or forgotten to find happiness in the little things. Perfect for fans
of Josie Silver, Eleanor
Oliphant is Completely Fine and
Jojo Moyes.
Wendy
and Naveem Dixit are like a well-oiled machine. They live their life
as a devoted couple, rather than two individual people married to
each other. To the outside world, their lives are quiet and
predictable, set in their ways as they follow their daily routines.
All is well until taxi driver, Naveem is involved in a car crash and
ends up in a coma. Suddenly, Wendy's life takes on an uncertain
direction as her husband fights for his life and she flounders in the
unknown.
The
world is full of people like Wendy and Naveem who blend into the
background, getting on with their lives without drawing too much
attention to themselves. I enjoyed how the author created them and
the secondary characters, into such underwhelming people… which
isn't a criticism because when dealing with a crisis, they come alive
and pull together and offer support, as you'd expect. However, to
outsiders, they're quirky, somewhat odd and mostly don't fit in
within the definition of normal. Yet, just like everyone else, their
time of need is just as fraught and dramatic.
With
or Without You is a heart-wrenching novel bursting with intriguing
characters. The mood is melancholic but broken up with light-hearted
moments and witty dialogue, courtesy of Mrs Rampersad. As a reader,
we're taken on an emotional journey. The beginning leaves you feeling
as despondent as Wendy, coming to terms with her new normal but as
time progresses, the mood ebbs and flows and ends happily. The
overall message is touching and highlights the strength of friendship
especially during times of need and emphasises the point that life
can stray off course at any point in time.
This
is my first Drew Davies novel and won't be my last. This is a
well-thought-out and crafted story, giving pause for thought and
reflection.
***arc
generously received courtesy of Bookouture via NetGalley***
Drew
Davies was born in London and grew up in Whanganui, New Zealand. He
attended the Unitec School of Performing Arts in Auckland and won a
Playmarket New Zealand Young Playwright of the Year award in 2000.
After a brief stint on a kiwi soap, he has worked in Search for the
past 15 years. Drew’s other claim to fame is that Stephen Fry once
called him droll. Either that, or he got his name wrong. He now lives
in Wanstead, London.
Twitter: @Drew_Davies
Instagram: @drewdavieswriter
