This is one of the best books I have read this year. The blurb doesn't do this book justice at all as it's so much more than a story around Aberfan.

William is a infinitely likeable character. He is so real and so very beautifully written; I was gripped from the opening chapters of this book by his story.

The story is split into 3 main sections, with small forays into other time periods. We start with the disaster of Aberfan, when William is a newly qualified embalmer. Our next section goes back in time and covers William aged 10-14 as a chorister in Cambridge. Our final section jumps past Aberfan and is William in the 70s, around 7 years after the disaster. I loved each section of this story and always found myself wanting more. The author weaves the story skilfully and it's just a pleasure to read, even when the subject at hand is distressing. It could easily have become a depressing and maudlin story, but the story of Aberfan is sensitively and respectfully covered. It's not easy to think about, but I felt it was really well described.

There are some absolutely wonderful characters in this book. Martin, Gloria, Betty and Colin stood out for me particularly. I was less enamoured with Evelyn who seemed rather selfish to me! I could find sympathy for her situation, although I didn't like her treatment of Uncle Robert and Howard. I loved the description of Martin's family and his unwavering friendship of William.

William grows so much in this book and I feel like I grew along with him. I wholeheartedly recommend this stunning novel and I will look forward to reading more by this perceptive and talented author. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

With the background of a terrible disaster and the profession of embalming, this book was a surprisingly good read. We follow William, from his past with his close relationship with his mother forward through a life coloured by a tragic event which affected him deeply. A sensitive story around a horrific event which I, as a reader, remember vividly.

William is a Cambridge chorister, and his mother plans a musical life for him... however circumstances change and he follows his father and uncle into the family business as an embalmer. Then the Aberfan disaster occurs, and 19 year old William finds himself in Wales, dealing with the bodies of children as they emerge from the landslide.

This event changes his whole life, the way he can deal with emotion, friendship and love. There are a cast of special characters who surround and support William, and are all beautifully written: Uncle Robert and his partner Howard; Martin, a fellow chorister; and Gloria - William's true love.

This is a story about post traumatic stress disorder and the effects of a disaster on one individual. It is beautifully written - sad, heartbreaking, emotional, all the more so for the context of real history.

Utterly sensitively written, a brilliant debut. ' It is October 1966 and for William Lavery it is the night of his graduation as an embalmer and he is at his first black-tie do. As the evening wears on, news hits of a landslide at a coal mine. It has buried a school in Aberfan. William immediately decides he must volunteer to help. It will be his first job as an embalmer, and one he never forgets. William himself is only 19. He is alarmed by what he witnesses that cold, long night, and he makes a life-changing decision that will impact not only his future and his family.

A Terrible Kindness examines the life-changing decisions we make in anger, spite and moments of extraordinary heartache. This book is so topical for the moment as it is 55 years since that terrible night when so many young lives were lost. Absolutely brilliant.

I thought A Terrible Kindness was excellent: it is readable, insightful, thoughtful and humane.

The story of William Lavery opens at a flashy dinner in 1966 where he is celebrating his qualification, aged 18, to be an embalmer and to work with the newly dead before their funerals. The occasion is interrupted by an appeal from Aberfan for help after the unspeakable disaster which overwhelmed the primary school and many homes and William volunteers. We see his work there, his response to it and its effect on him, and then jump back to his time as a boy chorister in Cambridge as the loving relationships and tensions in his family evolve and where a traumatic event has plainly occurred. It is a book about a decent, kind young man’s inability to deal with his own emotions and about both the difficulty and the possibilities of healing in friendship, love and music.

There are so many ways in which this could have gone wrong, but Jo Browning Wroe gets it pitch-perfect, I think, never once straying into mawkishness, sentimentality, exploitation, facile psychologising or any other of the traps looming around such a story. The opening section at Aberfan brought me to tears more than once with its delicate humanity and compassion, and I was close to tears at other times in the book, too. Wroe’s depiction of William is quite brilliant and utterly believable, and her evocation of his work as an embalmer is engrossing, moving – and fascinating, too. She is also really good at writing about music; the Welsh song Myfanwy and Allegri’s setting of the Miserere both have a very powerful part to play here and she conveys their power as well as any writing about music I have ever read, as well as the joy and transcendence which can come with performing.

I may have made the book sound a difficult read; in fact, it’s anything but. I was completely engrossed and always wanted to read just a bit more. Wroe’s prose (in the present tense) is poised and unobtrusively brilliant, I think, so that everything from the strongest emotions to the feel of Cambridge in the early 70s (and I was there, so I know) is excellently but quietly done.

A Terrible Kindness is among the best books I have read this year and I can recommend it very warmly indeed.

(My thanks to Faber & Faber for an ARC via NetGalley.)

A Terrible Kindness follows William from childhood through to his mid/late-twenties - from being promising chorister in Cambridge to an embalmer in the West Midlands and volunteering to help at Aberfan.

I thought the opening section to be well done -describing events of the disaster matter-of-factly but with sensitivity as newly-qualified embalmer William aids in the identification and care for the bodies of the children killed.

We then travel back to Williams own youth as he leaves his widowed mother to become a chorister in Cambridge. As we move through William's life, both pre- and post- Aberfan, it becomes clear that he is dealing with the effects of several traumatic events.

I also liked the sections covering William's life - as a young boy torn between supporting his grieving mother and coping with her terrible behaviour to his beloved uncle Robert and his partner Howard; making friends with the fantastic Martin (the best character in this) and some of these relationships fall apart and are rebuilt.

The story is bookended by the Aberfan disaster but it isn't really about that. And that is perhaps my main qualm. It felt like it was a token traumatic event and could have been substituted for another disaster, real or fictional. Aberfan is still a sensitive wound for many and I can understand why this could be a difficult read for some.

I'm surprised that music doesn't seem to get a mention in the synopsis - as, to me, that seems to be the connecting thread that runs throughout the book. The love that William, his father and mother share for it, the desire of his mother for him to pursue singing, that he cuts music out of his life for a while and, eventually, it's healing power - not just for William but for many others in the story.

I enjoyed reading this character-focused, historical fiction about the devastating impacts of trauma, both small and large, and the healing power of friendship, forgiveness and music.

I loved this book from beginning to end, it is so affecting. As far as my reading experience of this book is concerned I could never do it justice in a review.

William at the tender age of 19 has just completed his embalming course. He has grown up in a family of embalmers so he is used to what is probably more a vocation than ever a young person’s dream career. At one point in the book where William is studying for his qualifications you get some insight into what is involved in the process. I was quite surprised at the amount of knowledge they must acquire involving anatomy and human physiology, for most of us it is something we prefer not to think about. We don’t realise the practical skill that goes into the job let alone the need for a strong constitution, along with a sense of kindness and empathy.

At the beginning of the book, William, full of enthusiasm for his new job, and a desire to help in any way he could, volunteers to attend the tragedy of Aberfan where so many young children lost their lives in the terrible events of that day in October 1966. It is a difficult read at this point, the enormity of the loss and grief suffered is unimaginable. A traumatic event for everyone involved but for such a young man? His experience here has far reaching effects on his life.

The book then goes back in time to William’s childhood. His relationship with his mother, who lost her husband when William was very young. There is also the relationship with his uncle, an embalmer and the twin brother of William’s father. Quite a bulk of the book is spent in Cambridge where William attends a boarding school for choristers. He has a great passion and talent for choral singing which his mother wants to encourage. This part of the book is centered around William and is in a way, a coming of age story. I enjoyed this very much and you get great insight into what makes William the young adult he becomes.

The book then moves on to William’s early adult life when he comes to terms with what has happened in the past. It is such a touching story. Amongst the sadness, especially when William is at boarding school, there are many lighter moments in his life, especially the wonderful friendship he forms with Martin at school.

It is rounded off with a beautiful ending which completed William’s story so satisfyingly. This is a truly special story which I will always remember, and one which I didn’t want to end. It has proved quite difficult to move on to a new book, as I miss all the characters in this book so much. Worthy of 5 stars and so much more.


*To be posted to my blog around publication date Posted to Goodreads today*

I loved this book - a really compassionate heartwarming book - to be recommended.

William is celebrating completing his training as an embalmer when he decides to volunteer to go to Abefan to help process the bodies from the coal mine disaster. This event and his involvement will have a huge impact on his adult life and will force him to reevaluate his childhood losses.

He has to learn the hard way that giving to others can also help heal yourself and that we are all human and all make mistakes. Reconciliation and forgiveness are key to this novel.

Firstly a big thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advance copy of this memorable book.
William's story with the backdrop of the tragic events of Aberfan was in turn extremely emotional, tragic, uplifting and compelling. I was 10 years old when the tragedy happened and can quite clearly remember the black and white newsreels and nationwide sadness as the disaster unfolded. Jo has captured this and more. The beginning of the book is just heart-breaking to read, but handled with such sensitivity and compassion. It's here that we are given an insight into recently qualified embalmer William's already troubled soul. The book moves between times that have brought him to this point, and then beyond. I loved William and Martin and the other well rounded characters that make up this wonderful book. It is so well written and also very well researched. Everything's there from embalming techniques, medical terminology, choral works, choirs, families amid the essence of the 50's and 60's.
I thoroughly recommend this book and look forward to more from Jo Browning Wroe.

This book just took my breath away it was such a beautiful story and so wonderfully written. Sometimes when you read a book you suddenly begin to realise that this is going to be one that you will never forget well this is one of those there isn’t one single thing I didn’t love about it it had everything and more.
The story is based partly on a real incident the terrible Aberfan tragedy and it was heartbreaking to read about it but it was written in such a compassionate way that made it bearable although I broke my heart more that once whilst reading the book.
Please don’t get me wrong although this is a sad read in parts it’s also very uplifting it also features one of my favourite pieces of music the Miserere by Allegri and that made this book so very special I played it more than once whilst reading.
Whatever I say about this book is never going to be good enough to convey just how stunning a read it is it’s a book I will never forget and one that will remain forever in my heart, many many thanks to Jo Browning Wroe you deserve more than the 5 stars I can give it was a beautiful read.
So please give this book a read it’s one not to be missed and I can highly recommend it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This heartbreaking and at times harrowing novel begins with an embalmers’ dinner, where 20-year-old newly qualified William volunteers to travel to Aberfan in the aftermath of the catastrophic coal-tip collapse. The resulting landslide, which overran a primary school, resulted in the death of 116 children. William meticulously takes care of their bodies and sees the agonised grieving of parents; this understandably leads to PTSD later in his life.

The narrative then goes back to William’s days as a young chorister at Cambridge, where his extraordinary voice gives him opportunities. We know that his father died a few years ago, and that his mother Evelyn has struggled with her grief; during these school years, the relationship between mother and son is close – but it is also abundantly clear that something has disrupted their relationship as older William is no longer in contact with his mother.

Throughout, William is supported by his uncle Robert -- the identical twin of his father and the owner of the family embalming business; Robert’s life partner Howard has been rejected by William’s mother but William has a strong relationship with him. Gloria is his love and an interesting character in her own right. But my favourite character was the exuberant and incorrigible Martin who also has a voice like an angel.

This novel was much different than the young adult novels or historical fiction that I often read, and the description of embalming was not for the faint-of-heart. But I enjoyed seeing how William’s life unfolded during various crucial periods in his life. Indeed, at the 50% mark of the book, I found myself so engrossed that I read it through to the end, shedding a few tears along the way. The empathetic description of the emotional impact of the Aberfan disaster was especially powerful.

. The telling of the Aberfan tragedy through the eyes of a teenage embalmer and the consequent effect what he saw and did have on him were incredibly moving.
Switching between William as a child at choral school and as a man at Aberfan and for the six years following the disaster, his life is wonderfully described in snapshots, from his amazing friendship with Martin at school to his budding romance with Gloria and his healing return to Wales.
Williams emotional trauma as a result of volunteering at Aberfan is well written and sensitively handled and felt realistic for the time period it described.
Overall a very emotional and beautiful read.

This book is glorious. Moving and painful and joyous. A story of tragedy, hope and love. The writing holds you close and the characters are kept very real - I didn’t want to leave them behind. It’s not often that a book makes me cry and the final few chapters here destroyed me! Will be recommending and buying for family.

The book starts with the Aberfan disaster and William's involvement with the victims. I was 12 in 1966 when this disaster struck and it made a big impression on me as it was the first tragedy that I remember.

The book was a really good read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was well written and the characters were all very believable.

Prevaricating between four and five stars for this book. It was very enjoyable and well written and the subject matter with William as an embalmer was unusual and piqued my interest. However, I would have to say that after a fabulous opening set in Aberfan in the wake of the wake of the slag heap disaster that killed so many children, and then a section when William is in Cambridge at choral school, the book somewhat lost its plot and became slightly overwhelming with the number of strands it had going through it. If it had all been written with the intensity of the early chapters it would have been an absolutely stunning novel, but for me the pace didn't quite hold out.
William volunteers, as a newly qualified embalmer, to go and help prepare the bodies for funerals in Aberfan in 1966. The shock of what he sees makes him decide he never wants children himself. He could tolerate it if something happened to them. This decision and the affects of post traumatic stress shape the next six years of William's life, as he revisits the relationships he has with his family and friends.
The story is told with many flash backs, but they are quite clearly delineated and there is no confusion. I found the cliffhangers that the author left really spurred me to read on. Some of William's decisions appear rather suspect until something is clarified later on. The character of Martin is beautifully drawn. His infectious laugh, and happy go luck attitude really drove the Cambridge section of the book. Gloria too, is well done and totally believable.
In all I did very much enjoy this book, but the earlier sections were superior in my opinion. My thanks for Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

An excellent debut novel following the life of William Lavery who as a newly qualified embalmer went to help at the horrendous landslide at Aberfan in 1966. It tells of William's life during,before and after that dreadful day. I was extremely moved by the life he lead. It is a story full of grief,pain,love but most of all hope. I look forward to reading more from this author.

It's 1966 and nineteen year old William is at his first black tie event. Beside him is Gloria who he intends to ask to marry him. He's about to be lauded as the first trainee embalmer ever to attain full marks in his exams. He couldn't be happier. This changes though when news of a disaster at Aberfan comes through. Volunteer embalmers are needed and he immediately steps up. What he sees there will affect him forever.

I loved this book. The events at Aberfan are a small part of it. It is mainly about William's life, both before and after the disaster. He is a complex sometimes infuriatingly stubborn character with his grudge against his mother which fortunately both his uncle and Gloria continue to try to talk him out of. It's sensitively written and the events at Aberfan are treated with respect as is the process of embalming. I never imagined I'd be reading a book with a funeral director at its heart this year but I did and I'm glad to have done so. It's a cliche but this is a life affirming book and I strongly recommend it. Thanks to Faber and to NetGalley for the ARC,

This story treats the disaster that happened in the town of Aberfan in 1966 when 116 children were among those killed when a colliery spoil tip collapsed on their junior school. The author has chosen the unusual angle of telling the story from the point of view of a team of embalmers, specifically 19 year old William. The scenes where William has to identify the children by items of clothing are very moving and the descriptions of the pain of the parents and the treatment of the bodies are sensitively handled. The story moves back and forward through time with passages about William's time as a chorister in Cambridge, and his relationships with friend Martin, a special uncle, a young woman Gloria and his mother.

There is plenty to appeal to the reader here though some of it I found predictable. The boarding school scenes were among my favourites in spite of the familiarity of the scenarios and William's relationship with Martin was moving and well told. William's estrangements from his mother and his old friends had an authentic feel to them and led to a satisfactory ending.

I would have liked more about the events in Aberfan, but that aside, I would recommend this book for featuring a tricky subject in a compassionate way. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

A joyous and heart rending story of William, who responds to the emergency call out for embalmers in the immediate aftermath of the Aberfan disaster. A tale of how to forgive, how to survive tragedy and ultimately bring hope to many lives. I couldn't put it down.

One of the most beautiful books I’ve read in a long time, and certainly the first to make me cry in ages! The final couple of chapters were just perfection.
Telling the story of William, a newly qualified embalmer who has followed his late father and uncle into the funeral business. William volunteers to help in the aftermath of the Aberfan tragedy where over a hundred children lost their lives. Haunted by the experience he tells his young fiancé that he cannot marry her.

We then go back to discover not only the start of their relationship, but also his childhood. And discover that it is not only Aberfan that has given him trauma to deal with. Piecing together all these key events in his life with a wonderful cast of characters.
Although at times the idea of funerals and embalming might sound overwhelming , it is handled so well and with such care that truly this book could not have a better title. The kindest characters you could ever wish for.