Hello Goodbye

by Emily Chenoweth

Book Overview

"Tender. . . . Chenoweth'saffectionate style works marvelously, capturing the decadence of youth." --NewYork Times

Ina single week, one family leaves behind its past as a daughter awakens to a newfuture, in Emily Chenoweth's intimate and beautifully crafted debut novel oflove, loss, and learning to start over. Perfect for readers of Jennifer Haigh's The Condition, Susan Minot's Evening, and Kim Edwards' The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Hello...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006203460X
• ISBN13: 9780062034601
• Release Date: June 2011
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

loved this book

I loved this book and it was one of those books that I couldn't wait to sit down and read. I saw the author's photo on the cover, and after a couple of chapters, I couldn't believe anyone so young (late 20's/early 30's?) could be capable of capturing the emotions of characters at mid-life, and so accurately portray the experience of parenting college-age children. I was fascinated at how she could so vividly and eloquently capture feelings and experiences that most people never put into words. Then I looked up Emily Chenoweth online and discovered that she lost her own mother to cancer when she was just 19. Then I understood her maturity and depth of understanding. I cried when I reached the end of the book and was sorry to put it down. I don't think she's written any other books yet but I would be eager to read another. I think she writes beautifully, reminiscent of Elizabeth Berg, one of my favorite authors.

"Maybe if I'm really good everything bad will go away. make it go away"

With most of the drama set in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Hello Goodbye is about a family in crisis and their frail expectations of love The novel begins with a devastating revelation, a woman is just coming home for a jog, then there's an intense headache, a strange flash and Helen Hansen falls to the kitchen floor. After she's rushed to the hospital by Elliott, her husband, the doctors discover a tumor in her frontal lobe, stretching tentacle like, the only possible reason for the headaches, the blurred vision, and the elusiveness of worlds. It is here that Emily Chenoweth Cook eviscerates the Hansen's comfortable existence, especially Elliott and teenage daughter Abby with both plunged into a new and uncharted waters as their mother seems to fade before their eyes. Even Elliott, a dedicated headmaster, knows now that a different life was coming to him. By nature and habit Elliott is well equipped to face disaster as anyone he knew and he's never really shied away from the expectations of death. Yet the grim prognosis of Helen's thrusts him into the position of caregiver, a role that he's barely ready for. "He's the smoker, the drinker; she the runner, the eater of salads;" and he had imagined Helen holding his hand on his deathbed - never, ever the other way around. When the oncologist tells Elliott that Helen has nine months, he decides to bring her back to the state where she used to live - it's not exactly a pilgrimage, but neither a simple holiday Cupped in its summer valley, ringed by the humped blue mountains of New Hampshire , the Presidential Hotel rises up "like a marooned ocean." Maybe for just a week the Hansen's will be transformed by the hotel's elegance and order into superior versions of themselves. But a bigger surprise for Helen awaits: Elliott has also summoned their friends to this place where they would eat and drink and reminisce and when they leave, they can say, for the last time, goodbye. Against a spectacular backdrop the Hansens and their friends are thrust together in this remote place, their life experiences and their insecurities and the stress of Helen's illness accented by the serenity of the vast grounds and lush interiors of the Presidential Hotel. Abby takes center stage. At first she believes her mother when she says that things are going to get better, but standing in the way of Abby's comprehension is grief, anger, and pure adolescent self-absorption the latter of which surrounds her life like a veil "invisible but complex and full of flourishes and textures." Even as Elliott takes pleasure in lighting each fresh cigarette of the day, he's upset at the long-established family order, which has placed Abby and Helen on one side and Elliott on the other. Of course they all love each other but their love has not precluded alliances. Chenoweth's supporting characters are pivotal in this evolving dynamic that is controlled for the most part by Elliott: Eva and Ruth, Dom and Henry, and later Neil

Chenoweth Reminds Readers that Life --- and Hope --- Can Flourish Even in the Times of Greatest Sorr

The Hansen family is throwing a party in honor of Helen and Elliott's 20th anniversary. They've invited their closest family friends to the Presidential, a luxury resort in the heart of New Hampshire's White Mountains. The place is like something out of a 19th-century novel, with white linens, fine china, and maids in skirts and hats. It's the kind of place where people dress for dinner, where they spend their abundant leisure time playing golf and tennis and simply admiring the view. The couple's anniversary, however, is only the surface reason for this once-in-a-lifetime gathering of lifelong friends. In reality, this will probably be the last time Helen sees her friends. She's dying of brain cancer, but no one except Elliott knows the seriousness of the prognosis or just how little time she has left. In addition to keeping Helen's dire condition a secret from Helen herself, he has withheld the information from the couple's daughter, Abby, who has just finished her first year at a small private college in Connecticut. Abby is bored with the stuffy atmosphere at the Presidential; she can't relate to her parents' friends and is uncomfortable around her mother, who has quickly become like a dependent, forgetful child rather than like the strong, capable woman Abby has always admired. As the bored young lady wanders the halls and grounds of the resort, she attracts the attention of two very different young men: Alex, a waiter who is part of the disaffected preppy staff who mock the tourists and smoke pot after hours, and Vic, a former delinquent turned studious young man who has his own reasons to grieve Helen's illness. In less capable hands, the novel's theme (of one woman who is on the cusp of beginning her adult life even as another woman prepares to leave it) would be trite or simplistic. Emily Chenoweth, however, shows a facility for language and a deep understanding of family dynamics as she paints her heartfelt but understated portrait of this family on the verge of loss and overwhelming change. Chenoweth has a firm grasp on grief, beautifully capturing the bittersweet emotions of Elliott, in particular, as he simultaneously celebrates his last weeks with his wife while already mourning her passing. "Everyone else would get to say goodbye to her in the guise of a temporary parting --- vacations, after all, must end --- while he would say nothing of the kind. And then when she was gone, he would be alone, and he would not be part of this circle of friends anymore, not the way he had been; it was inevitable. So he, too, was saying goodbye in a way, because they were out of time, he and his wife and all of them." Just as the Presidential resort celebrates a way of life long past, the Hansens' party celebrates a life that will soon be lost, a friendship and a family that will never be the same. By juxtaposing this loss with Abby's romantic and sexual awakening, Chenoweth reminds readers that life --- and hope --- can flourish even in the

A Beautiful Novel

This is by far one of the best novels centered around family dynamics I have read in a long time. I am very surprised there are not more readers and reviews on this top notch book. Ms. Chenoweth excels in her story, character development and their interaction with one another. It is basically a down-to-earth tale of a family adjusting to cancer and how it impacts each member as well as their friends. She is right on target with her description of the emotions of the cancer victim, husband, and daughter. I lost my mother to the same type of cancer and experienced many of the feelings that the daughter does in this novel. The author is very accurate in her medical data interspersing it with other interesting themes such as marriage, friendship, art, and the things we take for granted. While one would expect to come away depressed, I found myself uplifted by the love that spoke to me through this story. I look forward to more books from this very accomplished book reviewer.

A well-written, beautiful story

Emily Chenoweth's 'Hello Goodbye' is a beautifully written novel dealing with love and loss, and all the emotions that accompany these two dichotomous states of mind. Years ago, one of my mother's friends died of brain cancer, and I can attest to the accuracy of her description of the experience of both the cancer patient and those who love her. The story really gets into the minds and hearts of the main characters, giving the reader what sometimes feels like an intrusive window into their thoughts and feelings. The intensity in this book is sometimes so great that there were times I wanted to turn away. But instead, I read on, captivated by the love between this husband and wife and the confusion of their daughter. Helen, the main character, is not supposed to know her disease is terminal, at least neither her husband or the doctor has told her. But what makes this book so true to life is that on some level, Helen does know, and her view of the events of the week is colored by that perception. Never is there any discussion of her continuing treatment. She seems to have accepted her fate without really even knowing it. I remember so well the months that preceded my mother's friend's death - her valiant efforts to remain positive and to keep those around her from giving up hope and her frustration with her inability to do the simple things she used to take for granted. And I remember her death and the impact it had on everyone who knew her. Ms. Chetworth's book is a tribute to all those who have faced a similar challenge and the love that endures even after the person has passed. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to read it.