Rebecca Ley’s novel, For When I’m Gone, is now out in paperback, just ahead of Mother’s Day. The author’s debut novel begins with a sombre premise of a woman who knows she has limited time left to live, but goes on to celebrate the present moment, communication and motherhood.
The protagonist, Sylvia, writes a handbook for her husband to use once she has died, to help him with family life and raising their two children.
Ley is a journalist who has written for The Times and The Guardian among other publications.
Published as a hardback in September 2020, the book has received outstanding reviews so far, with The Sun calling it ‘beautifully written’, Woman & Home telling readers to ‘prepare for heartbreak’, and pages of four and five star reviews on Goodreads.
“One of the pleasures in reading is realising that the things you are going through are not necessarily unique,” Ley told the Hackney Post. “Literature is that ability to connect and to see somebody else’s take on the world.”
The book has a clear motherhood angle. Ley describes motherhood as “this consuming, amazing, difficult thing.”
When asked about the message of the book, Ley says: “Enjoy here and now. That is all we have got.”
