It is October 1966 and William Lavery, a young, newly qualified embalmer, following in his father and uncle’s footsteps in the undertaking business, is having the night of his life at his first black-tie do. But as the evening unfolds, news comes in of the disaster in Aberfan, a landslide at a coal mine that has buried a school.
William decides he must act, so he volunteers to help. It will be his first job as an embalmer, and one that he will never forget. As he works he thinks about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to forget. But compassion can have surprising consequences, because - as William discovers - giving so much to others can sometimes help us heal ourselves.
William’s life is interesting, he does have issues but at times I felt frustrated with his immaturity and stubbornness in his relationships with his mother and his wife Gloria. Everyone around him seemed to be so tolerant and forgiving of his behaviour for so long.
This was a book club choice, I'm not sure I would have chosen it myself.
Based on real events this is an extremely sad read, you will cry. The author has created a very original story taking the Aberfan disaster, the life of a boy chorister and embalming as a career choice.
For anyone not familiar with the disaster, in 1966 in the then coal mining village of Aberfan in South Wales a tip of coal waste had been created on a mountain slope. Heavy rain led to a build-up of water within the tip which caused it to suddenly slide downhill as a slurry. The avalanche of coal waste engulfed the town and the primary school killing 144 people, most of whom were young children.
Based on real events this is an extremely sad read, you will cry. The author has created a very original story taking the Aberfan disaster, the life of a boy chorister and embalming as a career choice.
For anyone not familiar with the disaster, in 1966 in the then coal mining village of Aberfan in South Wales a tip of coal waste had been created on a mountain slope. Heavy rain led to a build-up of water within the tip which caused it to suddenly slide downhill as a slurry. The avalanche of coal waste engulfed the town and the primary school killing 144 people, most of whom were young children.
