This is an absolutely enchanting book about an ordinary British family from the 60’s onward. Liz meets Frank when he sings Elvis songs in a rock band. Their love and marriage and family whether many a storm. A beautiful book.

A short book,with short chapters, giving short glimpses of life. It’s easy to read and I flew threw it. The first chapter is one long sentence, stream of consciousness giving an overview in a way of the whole book. Hard to describe, as each chapter is written in a different way but it’s the story of a family, Frank, his wife Liz and their children, John and Dawn. Beautifully done, particularly the latter sections where Frank is suffering from Alzheimers.

ARC received in exchange for an Honest Review
Thank you to Fairlightbooks and NetGalley!

“Watching him die will be a privilege. Loving someone means you don’t want them to be alone right at the end. It means no matter how scary it is, or how much it hurts, NOT being there would be so much worse. He witnessed her first breath. She’ll stay until he takes his last”

This is a book I was afraid to read, so please check the trigger warnings as it deals with the death of a parent.

With beautiful poetic snapshots, Debbi Voisey, delivers a joyful and sob-inducing novella focusing on the life of Frank, his wife, his parents, his children, his mistakes, his dreams, and his slow decay due to Alzheimer.

I wasn’t expecting this book to touch so many sensible parts of my being, but like Frank, one of my biggest fears is Alzheimer's as it consumed my strong-spirited grandmother. It also addresses my second biggest fear that is the death of my parents. Only About Love does such a marvelous job at depicting the process of idolizing a parent only to discover that, they too are just human, and have to reconcile those versions you created in your head about them and their flaws into a complex bond that exists out of love.
It is all about love, and as much as I wanted to villainize Frank and tell him how much he deserved to rot sick and alone for putting his family in such misery, I still had pity for him. Voisey speaks from a place of love and some of the aspects that I appreciated the most while reading were:
-The apparently disconnected snapshots and the ‘ah-ha!’ moment when I realized they were all about the same characters from different points of view and different moments in their lives. It feels fresh and intimate, yet the space in between makes us always wonder what lurked in those spaces we don’t get to read.
-The first-person narrative in some of those snapshots pulls you in until you have some in the third person, pushing you away. This game of being in with the secret and then being another viewer fits right in with the structure and the pace.
-The characters, all human, all flawed, all love. Yes, Frank is the sun and all the others revolve around him, which leaves me wanting more of Liz and what her experience was. Or about John and Dawn, the children, as we learned that Frank was marked by his father and that in a certain way that affects how he acts. I want to know how Frank’s influence reflected on John and Dawn as they grew up and formed their own families.
-Lastly, the depiction of Alzheimer’s disease. Such a terrible all-consuming parasite eating away everything you loved from the people who once shined for their personalities and wits. This is the best depiction I have seen as it covers the family’s point of view but also Frank’s as he is confused and betrayed by his own head. A truly hard topic to write about, so Debbi Voisey did a wonderful job at this so memorable book.

Short but powerful, honest, and experimental, Only About Love is a book you must add to your list.

Keep reading, and when you are not You can find me as @isabelsdigest everywhere


#onlyaboutlove #fairlightmoderns @fairlightbooks

I found this book too slow and with little story to grasp on to. I'm sure that there is pleasure and beauty in this for the right reader but that wasn't unfortunately me.

A gem of novella, so cleverly crafted, so well-paced, narrated with compassion and insight, a gentle and moving tale of family life. Told in a series of short vignettes, we get to know Frank, with all his flaws, his long-suffering wife Liz and his two children John and Dawn, as each gets their turn in telling us their story. It’s an emotional read but one infused with kindness and understanding of how ordinary people cope with everyday life – parenthood, loss, illness, death. It’s a slight book but a profound one which will surely strike a chord in every reader.

Only About Love is a sweet, candid and touching portrayal of family life. The story is told in told in brief descriptive anecdotes that tell us of years of sadness and joy, hope and despair, betrayal and forgiveness. The author is an amazing writer who narrates the main character's life and past in incredible detail and with incredible acuity.

The main character, Frank, has a grand personality with several flaws but an incredibly loving nature. He is slowly descending into dementia, which is absolutely heartbreaking. The short novel tells us Frank's story from not only his own point of view but also his loving wife's and devoted children. Frank's close relationship with his daughter is so very touching. I highly recommend this short, emotional heart-warming and heart-breaking story. Definitely worth your time!!!!

This book portraits the family of Frank, his wife Liz and his two children John and Dawn. Written in manner of prose conveyed message that in our youth, when we’re young we forget that we’ll become old someday and reminds us that “history repeats itself sometimes”

A short and moving story about love.

In short sharp snapshots of his life, we meet Frank. Frank is an ordinary man. He could be your dad, your neighbour, someone you know. He’s a handsome musician, a gregarious bus worker, a devoted family man, an incorrigible philanderer, an elderly man diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

We see him through the eyes of his children, his wife, himself. The chapters are very short and it’s not always obvious who the narrator is but it does work and as a reader, you distill the essence of Frank and the perfect love his family had for him, in spite of, or perhaps because of, his imperfections.

I enjoyed it. I’m not sure it’s one that will stay with me forever but it definitely struck a chord and serves as a poignant reminder of just how time flies and how we should savour the every day moments that make up a life. 3/5 ⭐️

This was a short and sad (but beautifully told) story. Although the chapters were short, the captured the story that needed to be told.

Reading Debbi Voisey's ?novel ?novella ?linked short stories reminds me of phone conversations I've had over the course of the past year + with several friends. Each conversation contains new information, new insights. Each pushes the narrative forward or sideways or recapitulates something from the past. Voisey is a master of emotions, observation and flow. The book can be read in one sitting or the sections can be parceled out day by day. I'm not a flash fiction fan but this is something else again.

This book is deceptively short, and even the 130-40 page count belies the very short chapters and sections that make up this book. But it truly packs a punch.

We are introduced at first to small scenes which almost read like short stories or bits of flash fiction, but we soon start to see how they are connected, telling a heartbreaking story of a family's lives as they deal with the fallout of failing physical and cognitive decline.

There are some beautiful passages that sweep in to meditate on what it means to remember or forget, and then sweep out again just as quickly as they came, giving way to an observation on the absurdity of the role reversal where a parent is being tended to by their children.

Although I tore through this and read it in what felt like no time at all, some of the images from it have lingered in my mind since.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a short story but it packs a punch! Short chapters and snapshots into the life of frank who is suffering from dementia and a family who love him.

This is lovely short story that talks about love , loss, separation and children.
The chapters are quite short snd the writing is beautifully written and I found it easy to read from the first page. The story is about family and Frank talks about his wife and how much he loves her but also knows he has treated her wrong and his children. Frank gets demention and can be abuse at times . The chapters can be from Frank , lily his wife or Dawn his daughter.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book.

This book is about an ordinary family written in a brilliant way. Being told from the perspective of Frank and his family, it gives us insights on all their thoughts and emotions that will make our heart feel warm and also break it.

Frank has everything in his life and a perfect family still he looks for love elsewhere risking what he already has. The impact it has on their family will make us feel the pain. Later in life he suffers from dementia and the way it is told is heartbreaking. Seeing their loved one suffer makes it more difficult, specially from his daughter Dawn's perspective.

Debbie Voisey has written a flash fiction going to and fro between past and present smoothly talking about happy and sad times. It is a quick read which is honest, realistic and raw. Her writing is clear and so is the narration helping us to know who the speaker is immediately without waiting for the name to pop up.

She talks about hardships in relationship, ups and downs in family, inspite of everything coming together only because of their love for each other. It is always and only about love as she rightly says.

I would recommend this lovely book to everyone if you want to experience a feeling that touches your heart and so does all the emotions.

Thank you Netgalley and Fairlight for giving me a chance to read this.

Utterly mesmerising and drenched in nostalgia! Thank you so much, Debbi Voisey, for writing such a moving novel. Yes - it is in on the short side, but this novel is real-life personified. Love, loss, family, separation, pain - every human emotion and sense is fluently expressed. On a personal note, my grandma has just been recently diagnosed with dementia and I was finding it very difficult to accept it; I was in complete denial. However, after reading the chapter where Frank describes what it is like to have dementia, how he has all these memories trapped inside his head, but he can't seem to find the words and he gets angry/frustrated, has made me come to terms with what my grandma is going through. This book came at the right time in my life, and hope it does for you too

Only About Love by @DebbieVoisey

This is the saddest book I’ve read this year so far. I’m not telling that I didn’t like it I loved it but reading this book made me sad and empty.

This book portraits the family of Frank, his wife Liz and his two children John and Dawn. Written in manner of prose conveyed message that in our youth, when we’re young we forget that we’ll become old someday and reminds us that “history repeats itself”.

The story is about Frank’s how he has a wonderful and loyal wife and children he loved most in the world he couldn’t ask for anything more. But Frank’s audacity keeps risking it all time and time again.

Only About Love is not all about love but choices you make in your life. Frank went through courtship, marriage, fatherhood and illness.

I’m really taken aback reading this small book, a novella which contains this much intense topic.

I’ll recommend this book to both parents and children cause there are lessons to be learned and choices should be taken and think about the outcomes.

“Starting out in married life is never easy. You have to establish boundaries. Rules. You’ve to devote your time and attention to one person, and priorities them over everyone else and forsaking all others. If someone thrust themselves into your life uninvited and unannounced, it can only mean trouble. And there was lots of trouble.”

Read this book to know about Frank and his family!

Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thank you @NetGalley and @fairlightbooks for the #arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Only About Love" is a novella written by Debbi Voisey. I was unsure what to expect when I first read the blurb, but quickly became entranced with the writing style and story unfolding.

The story follows the life of Frank, a regular man with a nuclear family. Each chapter is brief (1-2 pages), and from the perspective of Frank or one of his family members. Often jumping through time and back again, this story reflects on love, marriage, father-daughter relationships, mistakes, communication, illness, and forgiveness. The first chapter was told in a stream of consciousness, which initially I found a bit off-putting. However, within the context of the plot, it was key to understanding Frank.

I would recommend this book for those who like Kurt Vonnegut's writing style. Although not as bizarre in content (no space zoos in this novella!), the travelling forwards and backwards through time was a clever mechanism to convey Frank's state of mind and wellbeing. The novella was touching in how it conveyed the closeness of Frank's relationship with his daughter over time. And overall, how love is in the small moments, the everyday rituals, and the memories of those around us.

All About Love

Beautiful novella about love, loss, family and life. Frank’s life , like most people’s, is both ordinary and unique.
Told from various perspectives and through snapshots in time, we learn about Frank and the life he lived.
There was something so familiar about him, a flawed man living an ordinary life who his family loved , greatly.
In later life , Frank is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and it’s captured with incredible skill and accuracy by the author.
I really enjoyed this- the short chapters, different perspectives, timeline jumping back and forth all led to a really compelling story. An author I’ll look out for in future.
4.5

All about Love is one of four Fairlight Modern novellas published by Fairlight Books on August 5th.
I’m going to look out for the other three and will definitely keep an eye out for whatever this author writes next. I really enjoyed her writing.

This slight, little work is absolutely charming. An evocative volume about love and loss, I found the narrative style a little shock to the system, but once I fell into the rhythm of the novel I couldn’t put it down! ‘Things Frank Loves’ particularly affected me as a reader, especially as I currently have family members going through similar situations…the work resonated with me in a way I didn’t expect, and I can only congratulate Voisey on her talent in cutting straight through to the heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fairlight Books for the privilege of reading!

A study of the life of a man now suffering with severe dementia, Frank's history is told in a series of snapshots from his own, his wife and his two children's point of view. With no holds barred, this celebrates the bad and good in his life, and in his character, from his abusive childhood to his long and ultimately successful marriage that has survived money worries and infidelity.
The opening chapter was delivered in a stream of consciousness, not a medium I'm a fan of, but the writing soon settled down into a natural rhythm, and the format of switched viewpoints worked really well, This is a character study rather than a story with a plot, but ordinary though Frank's life is, he's a fascinating and empathetic character.
A short but very satisfying read.