I think it is a safe bet that most people are uncomfortable talking about death and dying. (It’s weird, then, that the most popular genre of fiction is murder mystery… but, I digress.) We All Want Impossible Things is a story about dying and how two best friends walk through the journey together.

Edi, a wife and mother of a 7-year-old boy receives the news that her ovarian cancer treatments are no longer working and she needs to get her affairs in order. Her dearest friend Ash finds a hospice for Edi and their final stage journey begins. One would expect that this story would be all doom and gloom but nothing could be further from the truth. If you have had any experience with hospices, you will know them to be warm and comforting places with staff that are utterly devoted to the care and comfort of the residents in their midst.  This is a story about celebrating life while looking death straight in the eye. We find Edi and Ash making the most of their final weeks together and reveling in their shared experiences over 40+ years, laughing about countless hilarious memories and crying over the end that is quickly approaching. Ash and Edi, along with staff and other residents, find joy in the little moments of their days, be it listening to guitar-playing Cedar who plays Edi’s favourite songs, cuddling with the house pets or resident Ruth’s continuous playing of the Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack. 

Behind the scenes, Ash brings more levity to the story with her sexual trysts, including the hospice doctor, and her relationship with her teenaged daughter Belle all the while trying to figure out her feelings about her ex-husband Honey, who is still very much in the picture. 

This is a story about relationships; about the blood, guts and glory of love and the power of laughter, friendship and family.

Photo credit: Real Simple