You should be aware, before I start my review, that I’m a little in love with Bill Clegg and a lot in love with his writing, so there’s that bias going in. I started with his memoirs and I’m following him through his fiction, and it just keeps getting better. You should also know that this book is due to publish June 2, 2020, so unless you’re also a bookseller with connections at Scout Press, you should just go ahead and preorder this from your local independent bookstore.
When I read Did You Ever Have a Family?, I thought it had ruined me for family stories forever. It was so beautiful, poignant, and heart-wrenching that nothing could ever compare. So, when I got wind of a new Clegg novel, I almost didn’t ask for it. I was a little afraid that after his first novel, it would be a let-down.
The End of the Day is one of those gentle novels that you don’t realize at first is burrowing under your skin. Make no mistake, you know you love it, you just don’t know that it’s taking up residence deeper and deeper in your bloodstream until it can rip your heart apart inside your chest. At its heart, it’s about the choices we make and the ripple effects those have, but also the things we have no choice about at all. I can already tell this is one of those books that will keep niggling at the back of my mind for a long time to come, and I’m embracing it.
If you haven’t read Bill Clegg, pick up his previous works while you’re waiting for this one. You will not regret it, and it will be a nice build to one of the most affecting novels I have read.
3 Boys 3 Billion Books 