We All Want Impossible Things Paperback – 12 January 2023

The book came in a pretty good condition except a few negligibly torn areas.

Ash and Edi have been best friends their whole life. They met in kindergarten and after college, jobs, marriages, kids and divorce, they are practically family. But now Edi is dying and Ash can do nothing but watch her suffer the last days of cancer and be there for her. After 40 years of friendship, Ash has to get used to the idea of a world where Edi is not a thought away. Edi has only a few more days left and Ash must try and make it as easy and happy for Edi as possible because while Ash is losing Edi, Edi is losing everything.I usually (mostly) avoid books that have potential of breaking my heart. My motto is if it ends happily then I won't read it but despite the very raw and sad premise of this book, I still decided to pick this book up thanks to a reel I saw on Instagram. Reading this book goes against my not reading a book that deals with dea th, life threatening illnesses and losing people but reading this made me realise how many good stories I am missing out on and while stories like these, real raw tales, make me sob like my life is draining out of me a little but it also was just so beautiful and so hopeful.The book showed how pain and joy both run in tandem in life and even when loss and grief is overwhelming at times, little moments and memories of happiness manage to make their way in. In the book, Ash knows that Edi is slipping away every moment and while we focus on that feeling losing someone you love, we also focus on all the beautiful moments the two have shared and Ash trying to make Edi as happy in her last days as possible. So it did make me cry a lot but it did heal a part of me as well!I could write a thesis on how beautiful and heartbreaking and funny this book was but all I'll say is that please read this book, you won't regret it! ❤️Thank you so much @penguinindia for sending this my way 💖

“Everyone dies, and yet it’s unendurable. There is so much love inside of us. How do we become worthy of it? And, then, where does it go? A worldwide crescendo of grief, sustained day after day, and only one tiny note of it is mine.”Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years. Since childhood they have seen each other through life’s milestones. As Ash notes, ‘Edi’s memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.’So, when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ash’s world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi’s care, from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from snack smuggling to impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night. Because life is about squeezing the joy out of every moment, about building a powerhouse of memories, about learning when to hold on, and when to let go.We All Want Impossible Things is about enduring friendships amidst dealing with illness, of friends who become family, and to go looking for a rainbow every day. The subject, as painful as it is, is treated with utmost respect for the characters and the ordeal each of them experiences. The author balances the heavy with bright humour that comes naturally as part of both Edi and Ash’s personalities.I always find it hard to read books about illness and loss, which probably stems from my personal experiences but that cannot be a reason to find fault in the author’s writing. Perhaps this just didn’t resonate with me.This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Transworld Publishers.For complete review, visit aquamarineflavours.wordpress.com

This book so perfectly shares the grim but achingly sweet, and frequently funny, story of losing someone you love to a long battle with terminal illness. I want to start again at the beginning.

Present for friend.

Ein Buch über das gute Leben im Hospiz. Ich bin über einen Podcast zu Freundschaften auf dieses Buch aufmerksam geworden.Beim Lesen musste ich innerhalb einer U-Bahnfahrt sowohl laut lachen als auch anfangen zu weinen. Das Wechselbad der Gefühle zieht sich durch das gaänze Buch, aber es ist letzlich ein sehr lebensfreudiges Buch über die Bedeutung von Freundschaft auch beim Sterben

This book feels like a lived experience. It was challenging and engaging. The characters feel like real people ( that you want to meet) i laughed and cried and thought of the people I have loved , still love but aren’t here anymore.

Ms. Newman has crafted a great novel about life, love loss and rediscovery of yourself in the journey. At times funny, at times achingly raw this is not a story about perfect Saints but rather the perfectly imperfect people who love their dying friend and each other. Loved this because truly, we all want at least one impossible thing.