"But Daddy, who will live with me in heaven?" Doctor Simon Bailey has everything a man could ever want. Then his beautiful daughter is diagnosed with Leukemia. He can almost accept her impending death. He can almost accept the fact that he will have to live without her. But he cannot stand the thought of his little girl having to face death alone. He answers her innocent question in a moment of desperation, testing his marriage, his professional judgment and his sanity to the limit. As cracks form in Simon's previously perfect family, we wonder, as do his loved ones ... will he really make the ultimate sacrifice? Combining poignant moments of both humour and pain, 'Simon's Choice' is a penetrating account of parenthood at the sharp-end.
The Story Behind This Book
I was just having a chat with a friend. We were discussing what we would do if we were to experience the horror of having a child that was going to die. My friend said ‘I’d offer to go with her to heaven’. A shiver ran down my spine and I sat down that very afternoon and started writing the book.
Praise and Reviews
Comment from Kim Jewell, author of ‘Invisible Justice’: Emotionally charged, vivid detail, delivered with a loving touch that makes the reader feel a part of the family and their turmoil.
Comment by David Loftus, author of ‘End Time Gentlemen’: I can hear them setting my table in Hell now because there were parts of this that made me laugh. The fact that it's about something so dark and traumatic gives it a real edge. Powerful rather than bathetic. An excellent book that deserves to do tremendously well.
Comment by Sly, author of Stonefish: I couldn't stop reading. It turns from heart warming to heart breaking, with no 'reality Etch a Sketch'. Seldom has a piece of fiction moved me so much. The reader becomes so deeply enmeshed in this entire family and its tragedy.
Comment from author Garlen Lo: A great writer. Clear, crisp, with that all important great 'voice.'
Comment from Patricia Herlevi, author of ‘All Saints’ Day’: A powerful and transformative novel about battling with an illness, free of clichés and stereotypes and full of humanity.
