As Magda approaches her seventieth birthday, she finds she has a lot left to figure out about who she is. Her lifelong best friend, Sara, the charming, creative art curator, who has brought many of Magda’s happiest moments to her life, including planning her birthday parties, has died. Sara’s husband, eager to move on with a new relationship, seeks Magda’s help sorting her possessions, and ultimately, taking possession of the urn containing Sara’s ashes. When Magda decides to take the road trip Sara had planned for Magda’s 70th, she takes the urn along, which anthropomorphs into Sara in Magda’s mind.
Magda has grieving to do, not only for the person Sara was to her, but what she represented. Discovering that Magda can continue to live, in more open and fulfilling ways, is the journey she takes us on.
Montagues writing is clean and many times lovely, but the telling of this story, primarily through Magda’s mental musings, drags. I struggled to finish, but was glad I did, as I really wanted to know that, as Magda insists at the opening of the book, she is fine.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Ecco/HarperCollins for the review copy. How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund was published October 22, 2024.
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