''Let Go My Hand'' is the fourth novel by British author
Edward Docx
Edward Docx (born 1972) is a British writer. His first novel, '' The Calligrapher'', was published in 2003. He is an associate editor of '' New Statesman Magazine''.
Biography
Docx was born in Newcastle. He was educated at St Bede's College ...
.
Plot introduction
Louis Lasker his father Larry is in his seventies and suffering from
MND. Together they accompany in their
VW camper
The Volkswagen Type 2, known officially (depending on body type) as the Transporter, Kombi or Microbus, or, informally, as the Bus (US), Camper (UK) or Bulli (Germany), is a forward control light commercial vehicle introduced in 1950 by the Ge ...
from
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
to
Dignitas in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. Louis older twin brothers Ralph and Jack join his father as they visit champagne-producing châteaux, ancient caves and go to concerts of classical music, but as they journey to
Zurich to consider euthanasia...
Reception
"This is surely one of the first novels to face squarely the issue of assisted dying, and it is equally unflinching in its examination of family dynamics. After a few days in his brothers’ company, Louis wonders: “Is it normal to love the idea of people more than their actuality?” It's a guilty thought that's probably not uncommon, but it takes a writer of Docx's eloquence to articulate it. His lucid prose makes the characters’ complex thoughts engaging, and there are times when the Laskers’ voices are so distinctive that you can almost hear them talking."
References
{{reflist
External links
Author websiteGuardian reception
2017 British novels
Fiction about euthanasia
Picador (imprint) books
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Works about motor neuron disease