Loss | Book Chatter

The Many
By Wyl Menmuir
Salt, 2016, 160pp.

The Short of It:

Mysterious. Deep. A lot to chew on.

The Rest of It:

On the surface, his move to the isolated village on the coast makes perfect sense. But the experience is an increasingly unsettling one for Timothy Bucchanan. A dead man no one will discuss. Wasted fish hauled from a contaminated sea. The dream of faceless men. Questions that lead to further questions. What truth are the villagers withholding? ~ the publisher

Grief, loss, societal and environmental collapse. It’s all here in this short book, but what a punch it packs. Tim is suffering a great loss. He heads to an isolated coastal village to begin fresh. The house he settles on, has been abandoned for years; once belonging to a man whom no one speaks of. Why is this man’s name taboo? Whenever Tim tries to find out, he’s shut down and sometimes in a violent way. Harm to his person as well as the house he just bought.

He wants very much to make a home for his wife, but he doesn’t feel comfortable bringing her there without completely understanding what he’s dealing with. He has nightmares. The fishing boat he finds work on detracts from the horrible visions in his head but once he’s back on land, he plummets once again into a very dark place.

This story that can be interpreted in many different ways. I’m sure Menmuir knew which direction he wanted to go with it, but I refrain from sharing what I believe as it could be a spoiler for anyone wanting to pick up this obscure novel.

Did I enjoy it? It’s not a book to enjoy. It took a little time to get a feel for the writing but it’s very atmospheric and welling with meaning. It was shortlisted for a Man Booker. You know the type of novels that make that list. This is that. I found it to be quietly disturbing and while reading it, it haunted my thoughts and still does.

My book club discusses it in March. It’s no longer in print, which makes it difficult to find a copy but I managed to snag the ebook from the library.

Recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

The Poppy Fields
By Nikki Erlick
William Morrow, June 2025, 320pp.

The Short of It:

If you were stricken with grief, would sleeping through the pain help?

The Rest of It:

Enter The Poppy Fields. A center for the grieving. Those, suffering from an unbearable loss, can simply sleep away their pain. Ellis, the creator of the center sees it as an invaluable resource, but it’s not for everyone. Many apply, but several are turned away. The ones who make it through? They have a chance to sleep their pain away in a controlled, loving environment.

Successful treatment renders the patient calm, more able to address the day. But there are risks. Some side effects include emotional numbness. Unable to feel anything. Is that better? Worse? For those around them, quite possibly worse.

Ellis, the creator of the center had her own reasons for coming up with the concept. She left a younger sister back home and that sister, Ava, has met up with three random strangers on her quest to find Ellis. What Ava doesn’t realize is that these strangers are also headed to the same place for different reasons.

This was a surprisingly thoughtful read. Erlick recently wrote The Measure, which many of you read. I had not read that one but when I saw this one come up for review I snatched it up. Grief can be hard to put down on a page, in a realistic way. Erlick does it beautifully.

Our main characters:

Ava – grieving the loss of her grandmother and the relationship she had with her sister.
Ray – carrying the heavy loss of his brother after his brother’s trip to the center.
Sasha – devastated over the sudden loss of the love of her life.
Sky – a free spirit who accepts a free ride on their way to California.

This rag tag crew explore grief together. What it means, what it does to a person, and together they pull each other up. Sky, young and carefree but surprisingly empathetic, accompanies them and supports them in a way that only a young person can.

I found myself completely choked up at times! The writing is gently poignant. Thoughtful and full of yearning. These characters complement each other in surprising ways. As they make their trek across the desert to The Poppy Fields, they share personal stories and feelings only to find out that they are more alike than not. What starts off as a random ride across the desert becomes something much more meaningful.

As for the clinical aspect, it’s minor. Very minor. I remember how cold and sterile Never Let Me Go felt. The Poppy Fields touches on the clinical aspect but mostly focuses on human connections. It’s warm and inviting but will definitely have you thinking about things or people you’ve lost.

Highly recommend.

Source: Sent to me by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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