About the Book:
Molly's a millennial home organiser about to have her first baby. Obviously her mum, Annie, will help with the childcare. Everyone else's parents are doing it.
But Annie's dreams of music stardom have been on hold for thirty-five years, paused by childbirth then buried under her responsibilities as a mother, wage earner, wife, and only child of ailing parents. Finally, she can taste freedom.
As Molly and her siblings gather in the close quarters of the family home over one fraught summer, shocking revelations come to light. Everyone is forced to confront the question of what it means to be a family.
This Has Been Absolutely Lovely is a story about growing up and giving in, of parents and children, of hope and failure, of bravery and defied expectation, and whether it is ever too late to try again.
Published by HarperCollins Publishers Australia
Released February 2023
My Thoughts:
I enjoy Jessica Dettmann's novels so much. She is genuinely funny, which is no mean feat to come across in a novel. I'm a bit picky when it comes to reading novels that are supposed to be funny - so many just come off as silly and overboard. But I have not yet encountered that with any of Jessica Dettmann's novels and now that I've read This Has Been Absolutely Lovely, I've read them all.
This Has Been Absolutely Lovely is the story of a family that could be any family in Australia, children grown up and now having their own children, coming together for a big family Christmas celebration. Annie, the matriarch of this family, has not long completed the cycle of nursing her parents into their deaths. She is tired, her parents are now gone, her children are grown and have their own lives. Surely, she can now take some time for herself and no longer be required to constantly 'care' for others?
Enter her grown children with their own messy lives they are quietly expecting their mother to assist in the cleaning up with. Molly, expectant of free childcare once her baby is born. Simon, expectant of a home for his family now that he's lost his own. And likely free childcare too. Only Naomi, the middle child, has her ducks in a row. She was a lovely character. A free spirit who also offered a calming and supportive presence to any situation. I really liked her.
It Has Been Absolutely Lovely is not only lively and funny, but deep and meaningful in its exploration of the roles of women as carers for their families, motherhood at all of its stages, grief, and family relations. It's an explosive Christmas for the Jones family and none of them will be the same at the end of it. This was a most enjoyable read with much to relate to within it. I found it funny, engrossing, and thought provoking.
At one point towards the end of the novel, Annie exclaims in frustration, 'When will it stop? All this caring?' To which, her daughter-in-law replies, 'Never. You're a mother forever.' Indeed. So true. But even so, are we expected to be carers until our own decline cedes way for someone else to finally take over the role? There's a lot to dwell on there. A cracking good read. I highly recommend the audio version which was narrated with perfection.
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