Some readers may think it’s not a good time to read Tammy Robinson’s novel, Photos of You. And,
some will say it’s never a good time to read a story about a twenty-eight-year old who learns her cancer has returned, and it’s terminal. Frankly, it was a beautiful story of love. And, it was cathartic to cry through half the book. Yes, it’s an emotional book with the expected ending. But, oh the love and support in this book.
Ava Green is twenty-eight when she learns her cancer has returned. She thought she had survived breast cancer. This time, the cancer is in her bones, and it’s incurable. She’s numb, and she can only think of the places she’ll never get to see. But, an older woman, also dying of the “damn disease” gives her one moment of hope. “Don’t spend your last days here on earth dying. If you have something you want to do, make sure you do it.”
At her birthday party, when her parents give her a gift of travel, Ava breaks down and tells them and her roommates and best friends, Kate and Amanda, that she’s been told she’s terminal. Her mother wants her to try a different treatment. But, Ava really does have something she’s always wanted to do. From the time she was a little girl, she planned and dreamed about her wedding. Everyone’s a little shocked when she says instead of a funeral that she can’t participate in, she wants a wedding. “I want to have my big day, celebrate my life, and say my goodbyes myself.” Kate and Amanda, lifelong friends, agree to help, and so do her parents. But, it’s Amanda’s post on Facebook that makes Ava’s plan go viral. There are over 20 million views and 6000 comments. People want to help and encourage Ava to have her wedding party.
Ava reluctantly agrees to an interview with a magazine, Women’s Weekly. She thinks it will help raise awareness that breast cancer can be a young woman’s disease. But, the magazine has other ideas. They want to do a series with photos to run weekly as Ava prepares for her wedding. And, they ask her to write a column about her thoughts. They also send a photographer, James. James and Ava try to ignore their instant connection. Ava has nothing more to offer anyone, and James has a past history with cancer. But, sometimes attraction can’t be ignored.
Photos of You is not a romance. It’s a tragic story of a woman dying much too soon from a despicable disease that takes her away from her future and all the people who love her. At the same time, it’s a beautiful story about people who are there through everything, the sadness and the ugly moments, right until the end, because of love.
And, maybe there’s a message for all of us, after we get through the rough months of 2020. “Don’t spend your last days here on earth dying. If you have something you want to do, make sure you do it.”
Photos of You by Tammy Robinson. Forever/Hatchette Book Group, 2019. ISBN 9781538700365 (paperback), 342p.
*****
FTC Full Disclosure – Library book
