Absolutely brilliant debut novel. Some very tricky subjects tackled with great empathy. A must read!

This unusual and deeply moving novel begins with a devastating tragedy- the horrific colliery heap slide that buried a primary school and the surrounding houses in Aberfan, killing 144, mostly children. Young William, newly qualified as an undertaker, volunteers immediately to be part of the emergency team, embalming the children’s damaged bodies and preparing them to be identified and viewed by their heartbroken parents. This is the “terrible kindness,” treating the dead with care and respect, and making them look like themselves, making the unbearable a little more bearable for the bereaved. The experience continues to haunt William over the years, affecting his view of the future and reminding him of his earlier years as a choral student, and how this time of joy ended in regret, disappointment and estrangement from some of thise he loved the most. Somehow he must face his fears and become reconciled to the events of the past. This is a tender and thoughtful look at friendship, family and forgiveness, about the power of music and the hope for redemption, about love and grief and moving forward. The important part played by undertakers in both life and death is very sensitively and engagingly illustrated, something not often seen in fiction. I found myself frustrated by William’s defensive actions but was rooting for him to find a way back to happiness, and found all the characters believable and likeable, even as they let jealousy, prejudice and stubbornness affect their relationships and blight their lives. An uplifting and memorable read.

Wonderfully beautiful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

My thanks to #NetGally and #Faber&Faber publishing for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.
I absolutely loved it. Poignant, touching and humorous. I can remember Aberfan as a 10 year old, My teachers in tears, parents hugged tighter and watching the tea time news was a hushed affair no chatter about the day.
This book brought it all into context and the experience of others in that period, not just the disaster but what was socially both acceptable and un acceptable at the time and how far we have come
A page turner and I would highly recommend.

“What if he’d chosen differently? What if all that had happened could have made him a bigger person? If each disaster had been a crossroads at which he could have taken a better path? It’s too painful to dwell on.”

A Terrible Kindness is the first novel by British author Jo Browning Wroe. In a swanky hotel ballroom in Nottingham, in October 1966, as nineteen-year-old William Lavery celebrates his graduation as the youngest embalmer in the country, an urgent call goes out for volunteers. A horrific mine collapse in the Welsh town of Aberfan has taken an awful toll, with many children amongst the dead. Embalmers are desperately needed.

William does not hesitate. A passionate kiss from the student nurse who has captured his heart sends him off on this mercy mission. But William has no idea what the long-ranging effects of this charitable act will be.

Although he comes from an undertaking family, that he would train as an embalmer was never a given. A gifted singer with a stunning voice, William knew his mother was fiercely determined that he should follow a musical career. Exactly what his father had wanted for him was never stated before his premature death when William was just eight.

“Since his father died two years ago, William has had to tighten up his insides and work hard to cheer his mother up” but at Cambridge, he made a real friend: “he is relieved that it seems all he needs to do to be liked by Martin is to be himself.”

How then, after four years as a lauded Cambridge chorister, did his career path change so radically? How could he be estranged from his beloved mother and not have sung a single note in five years?

Browning Wroe easily evokes both setting and era with gorgeous descriptive prose and popular culture references. Her characters, realistically flawed, are worth investing in as they develop and change over the years: a mother so mired in grief and jealousy she is blinded to freely offered love; a boy too consumed by humiliation and resentment to show loyalty; a young man so traumatised he cannot look ahead in hope.

Supporting these are friends and family whose patience, acceptance, devotion and love may be unremarked upon but is ever-present. Eyes may well up and throats may clog with emotion in later scenes: only the hard of heard will fail to be moved and uplifted by this exceptional debut novel.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Faber & Faber.

A very moving and heart breaking story.
William Lavery is attending a black tie event to celebrate his qualifying as an embalmer in 1966 when a telegram arrives telling them of the disaster in Aberfan Wales and asking for embalmers, so William decides to go and volunteer.
His experience affects the rest of his life and it reminds him of his difficult childhood and relationship with his mother. The story goes over different timelines and is is so moving it brings you to tears.

My husbands gran lived in the next village so he played on the hills over Aberfan regularly and remembers the disaster well.
You always remember disasters but don`t know what goes on behind the scenes and can be horrendous for all involved.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. I was deeply affected by the Crown Aberfan episode in 2019, couldn't sleep for days, and so was intrigued by A Terrible Kindness. The opening section was terrible and kind in equal measure, jagged with the edges of prior buried agony and I can understand how this trauma would impact the life of a young embalmer. The novel was beautifully written and I found myself angry with Gloria that William would not attempt to face his childhood trauma. Given the trials of those surrounding William, their forbearance in brokenness and kindness to one another and himself, the eventual unveiling of the childhood choir trauma somewhat cheapened the weight of pain lived by everyone else. The juxtaposition of Aberfan, miscarriage, loss of a husband/father and judgement over sexuality with the experience of voicelessness during a concert, cheapened the compounded trauma and made me strongly dislike William for the selfish ball he curled himself into over something that had no need to be carried and ripple so far. Can you tell I didn't like William?

A Terrible Kindness is in contention for the best book I’ve read this year. In 1966 William, a newly qualified embalmer volunteers his services to the Aberfan community following the fatal landslide that buried a school and more. It’s an experience that, alongside his time as a young chorister in Cambridge, shapes his life for years to come. I loved the attention to detail - of training to be an embalmer, the music and references to Birmingham - the supporting characters in this book - William’s uncle Robert and his partner Howard in particular - but also the understanding of the importance and healing power of music and singing not only to William and Martin, but to the wider community.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a stunning book. I was drawn to it because it starts at Aberfan, and which cast a long shadow for any child growing up in South Wales in the 1960s and 70s, and because it wasn’t screaming a genre at me. It intrigued me and I wanted to dive in.
William Lavery is a newly qualified embalmer who volunteers his skills to help in the immediate aftermath of Aberfan. It is a part of disaster recovery we rarely consider and the flavour of the book is quickly revealed as it focuses just a little on the mechanics and a great deal on the emotions. You learn just enough of the nuts and bolts to be drawn into William’s world but perhaps it isn’t for the over-squeamish.
William’s is not a world shaped only by the terrible nightmares and flashbacks born from his experiences working on those children’s bodies and we soon learn his past holds its own mysteries and traumas. Piece by piece they are cleverly revealed, building William into one of the most fascinating fictional characters I have come across in recent years, always on a knife edge between genuine happiness and self-destruction.
It is a remarkable debut, full of clever intricacies and memorable characters, but never so over worked that William’s story is not centre stage. I hesitate to use the phrase ‘must read’, but I think losing yourself in this book would be time well spent.

This is a beautifully written book that captivated me immediately. The opening scenes where the main character travels to help at Aberfan was a tough read but was very sensitively and subtly portrayed. As a reader, you are left with several questions about the main character, all of which are eventually answered as we delve into his history. I developed a real empathy for the character and was pleased to find that we got to find out what happened to him following Aberfan.
A beautiful and sensitivity written book

A really moving read that follows a young embalmer and the effects that attending such a horrifying tragedy has on his life. I really enjoyed this and it is so well written. Highly recommended.

This novel addresses some very difficult themes, but author Jo Browning Wroe, uses a deft touch and never strays into over-sentimentality. The book begins with William Lavery, our main character, at a dinner for embalmers. He has recently joined the family business and qualified with top marks. However, it is 1966, and the tragedy at Aberfan is unfolding, with elbalmers needed in the small town. Thrown into the deep end, William volunteers and we learn how this event marks his life as he helps deal with the bodies of the victims.

So, from the very beginning, we are aware that William has an unusual job but also that he does it well and that he is a kind, thoughtful young man, who wishes to give the victims, and their families, respect and to do his tasks with care. The author teases out our knowledge with William, as she goes backwards and forwards in the story. So we are aware that he has a difficult relationship with his mother, for example, but are unaware until later why this is. Through Cambridge, where William is a choristor, we meet his friend Martin, and we also learn of his love for Gloria, his relationships with his mother, his uncle and his uncle's partner, and of his decision to join the family firm.

There are some novels which are driven by plot, and others by character, and this is definitely in the latter category. William is a character the reader will come to care for, while also being very involved in his life and relationships. An excellent debut and I will certainly be looking out for more by this author. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

A very different type of book to my usual reads, I really enjoyed this novel. I was totally engrossed and mesmerised by the book, and look forward to more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This isn't the usual book I would pick up but the description intrigued me, especially after reading up on the very real tragedy, however the overall story in this book is very uplifting whilst dealing with what could be seen as a coming of age novel. There's many themes in this book ranging from death, grief, love and friendship.

The story also flips back to the main characters past and how some events in his life have shaped him to be the man he is today. One criticism is that sometimes the back and forth of the timeline was a bit jarring but overall this was an emotional read with the last chapter completely breaking me but it was worth every second and I look forward to seeing what future novels will come from this author.

A Terrible Kindness is a novel that sparked my curiosity and that’s always a good starting point when choosing what to read. Woefully ignorant of the tragedy that forms the backdrop to Jo Browning Wroe’s debut I was prepared to have my eyes opened wide to immense pain and suffering and for my heart to break into a million tiny pieces. However there’s so many more layers to discover in this tale that blends grief, loss, inner turmoil and conflict with an abundance of love, kindness and hope. The novel’s central character is newly qualified embalmer William Lavery, who is just 19 when the Aberfan mining disaster occurs and it’s his decision to offer his services to this Welsh community that opens the first chapter of this truly beautiful piece of storytelling. Taking you from scenes of utter devastation and then weaving between William’s earlier family life and his childhood days as a chorister in Cambridge back to the present day this is a novel that celebrates many loves; that of music, of performing, of a profession and above all a love for his fellow human beings, whether that be in life or death.

Jo Browning Wroe gently guides you into the world of an embalmer detailing the intricacies of the work involved that is strangely fascinating rather than morbid. Her descriptions of these necessary but grim tasks are suffused with such tenderness, respect and dignity that you feel the utmost admiration for William whose presence provides a small token of comfort to the bereaved. The elegant,understated prose enables you to focus on this remarkable young man and his role in this tragedy that leaves him notably affected by all he has witnessed. William’s inability to process his emotions causing him to make some drastic life limiting decisions endears him to the reader, reminding us not only of his morally upright character and sensitive nature but how very young he is to be dealing with situations of grave magnitude. However as the author treads the path between the past and the present it’s clear there’s another hugely defining moment in William’s life as a chorister that still troubles him and it’s as if the events at Aberfan unlock memories and emotions he’s tried so hard to keep buried. It is the manner in which both sets of memories collide that encourages you to read on, eager to discover more about the music loving boy before he closes the door on that particular chapter of his life, hopeful that certain individuals can help mend this now broken man through their offers of love and friendship.

I was struck by how much depth and nuance there is to the storytelling and amazed that a novel could contain so much love and kindness. It’s tightly packed into every significant moment so instead of being maudlin it’s the complete opposite. More uplifting and joyous than you could hope to expect I found details of William’s family life, living in a less liberal era insightful and compelling. The tension that exists between his mother Evelyn and Uncle Robert is a recurring theme, the elephant in the room that blights William’s childhood but sooner or later deserves to be addressed. I absolutely loved the sections relaying William’s days as a chorister, especially his friendship with Martin which has to be a highlight of the novel for me. Music, specifically the popular Welsh song Myfanwy and Allegri’s Miserere plays an integral role, neither of which I was familiar with but a quick internet search rectified that problem! The association between music and memories is captured perfectly as too is its power to unite people and also heal.

Sometimes the hardest reviews to write are the ones for novels that have had the greatest impact on your soul. There’s a fear you’ll fail to convey the right tone or neglect to pinpoint the reasons why you feel compelled to convince fellow readers that this is a book they SHOULD read. I had no idea when I started this novel quite how absorbed I’d become by the beauty and compassion found within the musical element and the relationships that have such an impact on William throughout his childhood and beyond. The characterisation is superb and I felt deeply moved not only by the kindness William shows towards others but the kindness afforded to him at crucial stages in his life. This resonated strongly with me at a time when we’re encouraging everyone in a world where you can be anything to be kind. You’d be forgiven for imagining this novel to be overly sentimental which I can assure you it isn’t! I remained dry eyed for the majority of the book but there are moments that tip you over the edge and the emotionally charged ending was one of them. The floodgates opened as the final chapter closes in an exquisitely beautiful and hopeful manner so that out of darkness comes light and the possibility of happiness in the future. A Terrible Kindness has to be a serious contender for one of my favourite books of the year. Sometimes a novel has the ability to take you by surprise when you least expect it and this one certainly did that. Highly recommend.

My thanks as always to the publisher Faber and Faber and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

JO BROWNING WROE
A Terrible Kindness
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‘Keep your head down and your heart hard. That’s your kindness.’
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SYNOPSIS
William is 19 years old, and a newly graduated embalmer, when he is called to his first job: Aberfan. Faced with the broken bodies of countless primary school children, William has all the physical skills he needs to perform his duty, but the emotional impact will stay with him forever.
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Torn between his mother’s dream for him to succeed as a choral singer, and his father’s legacy as an embalmer, William struggles to find his path in life, and through his own grief his choices sometimes hurt those closest to him.
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THOUGHTS
I loved reading about William’s time as a choir boy and will now forever associate Allegri’s Miserere with this book! That haunting, treble solo lies at the heart of this book and epitomises William’s pain as he struggles to let go of his past regrets. Whilst this is a story that centres around difficult topics: loss, grief and death, and William is a very real, flawed character, the overarching theme that music will bring us all together is powerful and heartwarming. A great debut!
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TW: suicide, alcoholism

I sat on the train, silently weeping in the opening section of this book. It is not so much a upbeat story but one of redemption, of acceptance and sacrifice and I was left ultimately with a feeling of hope. I thought it was beautifully written and I heard the choral pieces in my had as I read . A feast for the senses, sounds, smells and texture of vitally evoked.

If you like John Boyne you will like this I think.

Well what can I say about this book? Beautiful, amazing, emotional and uplifting. The subject of the storyline is the awful tragedy of Aberfan, Wales where a colliery spoil tip collapsed into homes and a school, killing 116 children and 28 adults. When I first started reading this I thought it was going to be a terribly depressing story. The magic of this novel is how the author has turned it into such a triumph over tragedy. There is also more to this tale of William, recently graduated as an embalmer who volunteers to help with preparing the bodies of the victims. This is where the story begins but it also goes right back into his childhood. A story of friendship and grieving and the mother/son relationship of which the author has an incredible understanding of. As a therapist that works with PTSD victims myself the author gives a brilliant insight into the effect that it can have on peoples lives. Intertwined with the story are moments of humour but most of all it is heart warming and is a story that gives great hope for people that are facing challenges in life linked to trauma in their past. There are also elements of the power of music and the healing vibrations of a good singing voice, I would recommend this book to everybody and I will.

What a beautiful, tender, sad, sweet book this is, an absolute gem. William is a young embalmer, son of an embalmer and with a complicated past that gradually emerges as the trauma of volunteering at the Aberfan disaster shocks him into remembering. The characters are wonderful throughout, in some cases they literally sing out of the page, and although the shadow of Aberfan is felt throughout the book, there is also music and forgiveness and new beginnings. I cried a lot but also smiled and won’t forget it in a hurry.

This tells the story of William and his life from boy chorister to grown man who hates chorister music and no longer talks to his mother after she ruined his life one day.

It is not till almost the end of the book where we finally find out what happened that day to make William feel the way he does, but by then we have seen him gain redemption with his best friend and his wife.

The story itself is beautiful even though it is set against such a tragedy as Aberfan and I found myself not wanting to put it down.