I like a book that shares out little surprises, kind of like opening your Hallowe’en bag at the end of the night and finding mini chocolate bars among those horrible black, orange, and white-wrapped molasses candies. The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is just like that bag of treats because we know, at the outset, that the book is meant to be uplifting and inspiring (the cover of the book is a bouquet of flowers) but the twists that the author weaves in among those positive moments are the ‘treats’ that have stayed with me in the weeks that have passed since I read about Clover and her collected regrets.

They aren’t all her regrets. Clover works as a death doula in New York City and she collects the regrets, confessions, and advice of the clients she guides through their final days – some of her projects last for days, others last for months, depending on the needs of the individual. It is a career she was drawn to and studied for, coincidentally, but didn’t really plan to take on. Clover was orphaned at a young age and lived with her university professor grandfather for most of her life, surrounded by the books and artifacts that he used in his work. When the novel begins, she has just finished with a client and returns to the apartment where she lived with her grandfather and begins her routine of self-care—which includes making note of the regrets, advice, and confessions of the client (if they shared any), caring for her pets, and watching her favourite romantic comedies. She is a careful person, someone who values order and a sense of calm, who limits her connections with people outside of her professional life. When she is ready to join the world again after her stressful contract, she attends a program at the local library where death is the topic, because she finds this entertaining, but she does this mindfully, with a plan. This is where she meets a man of about her age, Sebastien, who convinces her to take on his grandmother as a client.

Sebastien’s grandmother, Claudia, is a firecracker of a woman, someone who pushed against gender norms by becoming a photojournalist and travelled the world. The relationship that Clover builds with Claudia is one that develops slowly as they review her work, reflect on her life decisions, and consider what her death means to her. The role of the death doula in this case benefits both the grandmother and her extended family as Sebastien’s family is struggling with any conversations about the end of her life.  While helping them to find resolution for gaps that they had in their communication, Clover is able to find answers to some of the barriers to her own happiness.

Author Mikki Brammer is able to write the stories of grieving that the families experience as well as the transformation that Clover undergoes with a real sense of authenticity. Despite some of the darker themes in the novel there are moments of satisfaction and joy. The best scenes were the ones with her grandfather, a new friend she meets in her apartment building and a few of those unexpected moments that I won’t spoil for you. This could have been an oversweet and predictable novel about ‘learning about life through death’ but it turned out to be an enjoyable story of one woman’s unusual life and career choice – a book that might make you consider your life choices and will definitely have you making note of the author Mikki Brammer.