Before I Go
by Colleen Oakley
Our group discussion shows a mix of reactions to Before I Go.
As Daisy gets ready to celebrate her four year cancerversary,
or life without cancer, she discovers there is now Lots of Cancer throughout
her whole body including a tumor the size of an orange in her brain. Daisy is
given 6 months to a year to live. During that time Daisy plans to fix up her
house and see her husband, Jack, complete the dual PhD and DVM in veterinary
medicine. Another item on Daisy’s to-do list is finding Jack a new wife because
he will need someone to take care of him. Daisy begins trying to meet women in
coffee shops and starts internet dating for Jack. This turns out to be harder
than she imagines.
Most members enjoy the touching story and conversational
language of the novel. Cancer is a difficult topic to deal with and it is hard
to know Daisy is dying. But the novel is heartfelt and moving. We all
appreciate the way Oakley handles the end of this novel and are glad we do not
see Daisy severely decline in health.
Others do not like Daisy or the voice of the novel. Admittedly,
Daisy does get rather hard to like when she adamantly thinks Jack is cheating
on her, but she is going through a hard time. Another drawback of the novel is too
many adjectives making one member feel the writing is lacking. The present tense of the novel is distracting
for another member.
One thing our members can agree on, Jack is great. His
absentminded nature and sweet temperament towards Daisy made him loveable to
the group. Everything
revolves
around Jack’s school.
They miss out on spending
time together because school comes first. Everything is put off to the future when Jack graduates. Jack
needs to finish school
for them both. This is a huge goal for them and something to work towards and
keeps
their minds off the cancer.
Kayleigh is one of the group’s favorite characters
because she was the most real. There were many comedic moments from Kayleigh’s
misadventures in love and her cursing. We were all sad Daisy pushes Kayleigh
away and yells at her about wasting her life with a job she hates. However, it
is surprising much time Daisy wastes in pushing Jack away when they should be spending
more time together.
Reading books dealing with cancer is tough for our group
as the majority of the members had cancer at one point. Congratulations to one
special member who is now cancer free!
