What happens to those left behind?This is an engaging story involving a group of friends. It is written in a way that reminds me of 'Tales of the City' although the stories are very different.When Clarence passes away he leaves behind his much younger boyfriend Michael and a group of close friends. One year later Michael is still deep in grief and struggling to make sense of what he had with Clarence and what he has now lost.Michael the younger boyfriend finds himself having to make a new life for himself and this isn't easy when your life for the past few years has been focused on the one who is gone. Michael now has no real friends of his own having very much made friends of Clarence's friends and yet Clarence's friends have their own lives and no space for the young boyfriend of an old friend who is now gone, especially one year later. And besides they don't really like Michael. Michael doesn't realise things have changed but slowly he realises that he must now move on without Clarence and this means renegotiating his relationship with their former friends but he doesn't know how to do this. He might appear disdainful on the outside but on the inside he is lonely, fearful and regretting the way he treated Clarence at the end.The friends also have their own regrets about Clarence. Jack feels he didn't do enough when Clarence was dying but he misses his friend. He didn't always like Clarence but now he is gone there is a gap. Ben feels he did too much for Clarence and that Jack should have done more.Each friend has their own experience of grief for Clarence as they remember the past. And each of them doesn't really know how to respond to Michael, this partner of Clarence who is still very much in their lives even though they don't want him to be.This is a story about grief and the impact of death on those left behind. It is a story about the emotions and the memories and regrets that rise to the surface during the course of grief. It explores the impact of death on the living and the way in which people grieve and seek ways forward.I did enjoy this story. It tells a moving story without angst or overdone emotions. It tells this story from the eyes of an observer, revisiting the past and examining the different relationships from different points of view. It also shows how difficult it can be to move forward in life especially after loss and the changes that need to be embraced and somehow responded to.The book is written in a very clear way with great dialogue and a good pace. I enjoyed reading this and wish it had a sequel.
