[Book Review] ‘P.S. I Love You’ by Cecelia Ahern

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cecelia Ahern (born September 30, 1981) is an Irish novelist whose work was first published in 2004. Ahern was born and grew up in Dublin. She is now published in nearly fifty countries, and has sold over 25 million copies of her novels worldwide. Two of her books have been adapted as films and she has created several TV series.

She and her books have won numerous awards, including the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction for The Year I Met You. She has published several novels and contributed a number of short stories to various anthologies. Ahern also created and produced the ABC comedy Samantha Who?

REVIEW

Finding someone you love and who loves you back is a wonderful, wonderful feeling. But finding a true soul mate is an even better feeling. A soul mate is someone who understands you like no other, loves you like no other, will be there for you forever, no matter what. They say that nothing lasts forever, but I am a firm believer in the fact that for some, love lives on even after we’re gone.

This book narrates the story of Holly, a 30 year old who just lost her high school sweetheart husband Gerry, to illness. She is set adrift, unable to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. But just when everything seems pitch black, she learns to laugh, overcomes her fears, and discovers a world she never knew existed, with the help of her eccentric family and friends, and a series of letters Gerry left for her before he died.

A novel about holding on, letting go, and learning to love again, it has everything that qualifies it as a realistic story – love, tragedy, grief, acceptance and moving on. It teaches that dealing with the death of your beloved can be devastating but life goes on. People have to keep on living and learn to be happy again for the sake of themselves, their family and friends, but, most importantly, for the sake of their lost love that would never have wanted to see them unhappy.

Cecelia Ahern has created some compelling characters. Her writing style is simple, and sometimes even amateurish, but the beauty of the story more than makes up for all its flaws. The poignancy of loss, letting go and rediscovery is beautifully captured in the book. It is a touching and emotional story about the long road of healing and finding yourself again after losing a loved one. P.S. I Love You is an excellent work of an honest mind.

This book is a wild cocktail of emotions. It makes us laugh, it makes us cry, it makes us angry and it makes us sad; it is a bittersweet piece of literature that is enjoyable to the last sentence. The writing style is light, but that does not stop the book from bruising our hearts. It captures us emotionally and describes the events perfectly. Cecelia’s narrative techniques beautifully complement the plot. The only thing that leaves a lot to be desired is the pace of the story, which varies from quite slow in the start to astoundingly fast toward the end.

The characterization is simply great, though. The book has a plethora of characters and each character contributes something to the story. The characters are so likable that we completely sympathize with them. We mourn with them over the loss of a person that doesn’t even exist. This book is all the more touching for someone who has experienced the pain of losing their loved ones.

The plot is unique in the sense that it does not revolve around Holly moving on and getting a guy; it is more focused on how Gerry’s love continues to help her even after his death. Love is portrayed in a new light – pious, thoughtful and transcending. Also, throughout the book, we are bombarded with life lessons, such as moving on, dealing with society’s unsolicited judgmental remarks and the importance of family and friends.