Book review”Love Death, & Other Scenes” by Nova Weetman

The novel Love, Death & Other Scenes by Nova Weetman is a memoir that chronicles the loss and affection of a long-term love.

By Hayley Thomas

July 02, 2024 05.04 AM

A highly successful Australian writer of youth literature, Nova Weetman has branched into non-fiction writing with the memoir of love, Death and Others Scenes . The book is an emotional examination of loss and love that was born out of the need to help Weetman to deal with the death of Aidan HTML0 Fennessy the man she had been with for 25 years, in the COVID lockdowns of 2020.

Written with the elegance of a play in three acts (a subtle reference to the illustriousFennessy’s professional career as writer of plays) The novel has Weetman invite readers on the personal experience of her grief filled with personal reflections and heartfelt confessions. She confronts her own suffering and loneliness with a dazzling candor, honesty and a sense of humor.

Interludes, the prologue, as well as the epilogue all are written as letters to her partner, giving insights into the plight loss. Each scene is carefully written and skillfully interspersed with the tales that tell the story of Fennessy and Weetman in telling the story of the story of how their lives became interwoven as if their kinship was an inevitable way of life. The power of her writing lies by putting people in the exact same space with her during the most challenging time of her own life. She is constantly crying and becoming more aware about the transformative effects of grief.

Weetman is a dazzling writer who reveals the heartbreaking reality of losing a loved one, as well as the devastating impact that cancer can cause to the body. Her descriptions are powerful and entice readers into the intimate details of Fennessy’s illness and the emotional turmoil that results. The story of his final days is an essential read for anyone who has tissue. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking.

Through it all, Weetman tackles profound questions about the aftermath of the loss. What would you tell your children about the fact that their father was will soon pass away and how do we move forward in a world that has memories of our loved family members are everywhere around us? How does the loss of a loved one shape our identity each chapter is an ode to the playwright. Tiny fragments of his work that Weetman was a fan of, and that she must deal with even in absence any.

Through the sorrow, Weetman infuses moments of joy and wisdom, while highlighting the power of the human spirit and the power of affections. The book is also a study into self-discovery and the process of development.

Read: Book review: The Honeyeaters, Jessie Tu

Warm emotional, thoughtful, and deeply moving, The book Love, Death and Others Scenesis an tribute to telling stories as well as the ability of Weetman to communicate the universal emotions that unite us all. The ability to convey the delicate aspects of loss and love with such clarity and compassion is a must read to anyone who’s experienced loss or wants to gain an understanding of the effect it has on our lives. The book is a call to all who live lives that are needed following the loss of significant proportions and makes you think for a long time after you’ve finished reading it.

The love Death, Love, and various characters the Nova Weetman
Publisher: UQP
ISBN: 9780702268434
Format Paperback
Pages: 288pp
Price: $34.99
Publication date: 3 April 2024