3 out of 4 stars
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Four years after the loss of her father to stress-induced cancer, author Clodagh Whelan began writing him a series of letters, which were later compiled into her book Back to Life. The letters begin with sweet memories and musings about her father, someone she describes as a man of “agile mind” and “sensitive heart.” It is clear throughout the entire book that the author’s father played a significant role in shaping the author’s personality, and the love and respect she feels for him is an undercurrent to each of the letters.
The letters take us along with the author’s journey as she processes her grief over her father’s death, during which she reaches the conclusion that his illness was a result of job-related stress. This causes her to re-examine her own source of income, leading to a desire for change. She begins attending self-help seminars, exploring new books, and setting goals to reduce the impact of stress in her own life. The letters to her father begin to serve as a sort of journal in which she details the progress she has made, holding herself accountable in changing negative thinking into positive affirmations. As she learns to let go of worry, she grows more comfortable in setting bigger goals, which eventually begin to include travel and vacation plans. Through the process of travel, the author continues to grow and step outside of her comfort zone, returning to the familiar ritual of writing to her father to keep him (and us) updated on her newly re-prioritized lifestyle.
Several elements of this work make for quite interesting reading. Primarily, the fact that this is a nonfiction compilation of actual letters lends credence to the lessons we can learn by watching Clodagh embrace positivity and rebalance her life. The letters serve as a journal through her journey of self-care, showing us that taking active steps to reorient oneself really does achieve tremendous results. Because she tracks her moments of discomfort as well as success, we are reminded that life does not always flow smoothly, but also that despite obstacles, learning to trust and follow one’s intuition is still worthwhile. We are able to witness first-hand the power of saying “I can,” as well as the impact that supportive friends and family can have on our ability to achieve our goals.
The conversational tone and the steady and even pacing make for an easy and uplifting reading experience. The reader gets a unique glimpse into the sweet-natured relationship between the author and her father from the inside, as some of the letters truly do read like a casual conversation between close family. The only sort-of negative aspect of the format of this book is that we are not always given a thorough background story on the other characters that are introduced. There are times that the author mentions family members and friends by name, but does not delve deeper into her relationship with them or many other details about them – presumably because in writing to her father, she expects that he already knows the personalities of the folks being mentioned. Similarly, though the letters do tell a story, they do not follow a typical plot structure that a fictional novel would have, so the ending does not carry the same climactic impact that some books have. Nonetheless, it ties up loose ends nicely and ends the story in a good place.
I rated this book 3 out of 4 stars and believe it can be enjoyed by many different readers – folks who enjoy travel memoirs, stories about families and relationships, accounts of self-discovery and self-improvement, or simply are looking for a motivational and uplifting story of a woman who decides to make life her own.
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Back to Life
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