PS, I Love You    by Cecelia Ahern Order:  USA  Can Hyperion, 2004 (2004) Hardcover, Audio, CD     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth I picked up PS, I Love You with trepidation and put it down with regret. At first glance, and especially with its girlish and unsuitable cover, this first novel by Cecelia Ahern looks like chick lit. Hence the trepidation. However, the novel is an achingly accurate account of the trip back to the living world after the death of a beloved partner. Holly's husband of seven years dies after a losing fight with brain cancer. What then happens to Holly happens to many who are bereaved. Friends seem to not know what to say or do, and so the new widow is left to her own devices. A few close and cherished friends hang in there, to help Holly recover from a trauma she is not sure will ever end – and she is not even sure that she wants it to end. Set in Dublin, Holly's journey is sensitively told in heartbreaking clarity. The reader admires Holly and identifies with her. Everyone, at one time or another, has lost a loved one and must face the reality of continuing on without that special someone. Ahern is only twenty-two – Holly is thirty. How the author managed to fill Holly's shoes is a triumph of writing that reflects a sensitivity beyond her years. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews