Tell Me How This Ends By Jo Leevers

‘Tell Me How This Ends’ is the powerful debut by Jo Leevers.

Haunted by the past, Henrietta throws herself into a new job transcribing other people’s life stories, vowing to stick to the facts and keep emotions at arm’s length. But when she meets the eccentric and terminally ill Annie, she finds herself inextricably drawn in. And when Annie reveals that her sister drowned in unexplained circumstances in 1974, Henrietta’s methodical mind can’t help following the story’s loose ends. Unlike Henrietta, Annie is brimming with confidence―but even she has limits when it comes to opening up. Ever since that terrible night when her sister left a pile of clothes beside the canal and vanished, Annie has been afraid to look too closely into the murky depths of her memories. When her attempts to glide over the past come up against Henrietta’s determination to fill in the gaps, both women find themselves confronting truths they’d thought were buried forever―especially when Henrietta’s digging unearths a surprising emotional connection between them. Could unlocking Annie’s story help Henrietta rewrite the most devastating passages in her own life? And, in return, can she offer Annie a final twist in the tale, before it’s too late?

I adored this book, the characters, the storyline are all just magnificent. The story is seen through the narrative of Henrietta and Annie. Henrietta is an organised creature who enjoys routine, spending time with her dog Dave, so when she’s given the job to write up Life Stories for people who are terminally ill. With her stotic and matter of fact manner, she’s doesn’t seem the best suited person for the role but it seems that people warm to her abrupt manner. Henrietta is tasked with writing Annie’s life story and with a tight deadline of six weeks, it seems impossible as Annie doesn’t want to stick to the standard questions and wants to instead talk about her younger sister, Paula who went missing in the 1970’s. Henrietta then becomes consumed with the missing person reaching out to journalists and detectives and wanting to give Annie, the conclusion that she deserves.

This story is a beautiful one of friendship, two women from complete different sides of life form a bond over their guilt over experiences that have happened in their lives. Annie is a vibrant character, whose wings were clipped when she was married to Terry, a controlling and horrible man, now a widow, she can wear what she wants and go she wants and it’s terrible with this new freedom, it comes with a short deadline. Whilst Henrietta is quite a cold and factual character, it’s lovely to see her thaw and blossom in the story, growing in confidence and being more sociable.

A beautifully written story of friendship, hope and loss, ‘Tell Me How It Ends’ is a compelling book packed with wit, warmth and quirky characters that was a fantastic debut.

You can buy ‘Tell Me How This Ends’ from Amazon.