Monday 19 June 2017

Book Review: Horace Winter Says Goodbye by Conor Bowman 



Horace Winter has been working in the same bank branch for 48 years.
Never married, with no children, he lived with his mother up until her death three years ago, and now continues to reside alone in the same home. 
His life has been rather unexceptional. 
He doesn't have any friends, but his passion is lepidopterology - the study of butterflies and moths. 

But just before his forced retirement from the bank, he is diagnosed with a very serious medical condition that makes him question the life that he has led (or rather, hasn't), up until that point. 
One day he discovers a letter that his father had written many years earlier to an ex-Corporal named Migsie Spring, and makes it his mission to get the letter to him come what may.
Even with his health rapidly deteriorating, he is given a new lease of life when he makes a friend from his neighbourhood, Amanda. He also befriends a young boy named Max.
His life suddenly becomes much more adventurous than it has ever been!
His determination also allows for Horace to finally gain some happiness and his change in attitude means he can forgive himself for his past.

Horace is a character I warmed to instantly. He did remind me of Ove (from the book A Man Called Ove), but I actually found him to be more endearing.
When we discover towards the end of the story that Horace was faced with a terrible tragedy that he suppressed for all these years, I felt sad for him, and it made me gain a better understanding of why he had lived the way that he had up until the point of his diagnosis.
I also enjoyed the way that Horace categorises humans as being either a butterfly or moth, according to their personality traits. It's quirky and clever.
This was an easy read, and highly enjoyable. 

Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of Horace Winter Says Goodbye through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review. All opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way. 

5 comments:

  1. Love the sound of this book. A bit different from what I'm reading at the moment. I definitely need to move on from domestic noir and suspense!

    SSG xxx

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  2. I haven't heard of it but it sounds like my type of read! I'll keep a look out for it. Happy Mummy Monday!

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  3. Sounds interesting. I think I could categorize some humans as butterflies or moths!!

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  4. I haven't heard of this one before. Sounds great though.
    Thanks for linking up to #MummyMondays

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I read and appreciate every comment; thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!