This book is a sentimental love letter mutually intended for Leo and his quirky Leoisms, and his wife, Emma. 

Leo is a black and white kind of guy, he was adopted and his relationship with his adoptive parents has gone a little tense over the years because they never told him that he was adopted and worse, that his mother wanted to meet him. Leo deals with facts, he has made a career of it as an obituary writer. 

But unknown to him, is the story of his wife and her loves, and the traumas she's repressed. When he starts to innocently dig at the life they’ve constructed,  in order to write an obituary for his wife, he begins to unearth some scars and shadows of a past life. 

I loved this book because it reminded me of one of my favorites, *The Butterfly Box* by Santa Montefiore, particularly in the way both stories are carefully woven and beautifully told. Set in the UK, Walsh’s writing captures the essence of British speech, behavior, and culture, making it a delight to read. 

There was a sense of déjà vu however while reading it and feeling like I had read it before. And thus I feel my enjoyment of it was lessened and it took far longer to read it than it would have otherwise. 

But I cannot deny that the writing was masterful and I’m glad at the direction the book took. It was subtly done and convincing. This book deals with dilemmas and ethics and I was surprised that at the end, I appreciated each character but did not dislike any of them. I believe this is due to Walsh’s talent. 

I received this book for review consideration from Netgalley UK. All opinions are my own and completely honest.