The Eulogy is a literary page-turner from new Australian voice Jackie Bailey – a story about family, death and grief that is full of love, humour and life.
It’s winter in Logan, south-east Queensland, and still warm enough to sleep in a car at night if you have nowhere else to go. But Kathy can’t sleep. Her husband is on her blocked caller list and she’s running from a kidnapping charge, a Tupperware container of 300 sleeping pills in her glovebox. She has driven from Sydney to plan a funeral with her five surviving siblings (most of whom she hardly speaks to) because their sister Annie is finally, blessedly, inconceivably dead from the brain tumour she was diagnosed with twenty-five years ago, the year everything changed.
Kathy wonders – she has always wondered – did Annie get sick to protect her? And if so, from what?
In writing Annie’s eulogy, Kathy attempts to understand the tangled story of the Bradley family: from their mother’s childhood during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War Two and their father’s experiences in the Malayan conflict and the Vietnam War, to Annie’s cancer and disability, and the events that have shaped the person that Kathy is today. Ultimately, Kathy needs Annie to help her decide whether she will allow herself to love and be loved.
Jackie Bailey’s autofiction novel is an astounding debut, deftly weaving together storylines and relationships over decades, and will stay with readers long after the last page.
Read some great reviews from our Preview readers here:
I really loved this novel. The characters all have their faults but they are so easy to love. The humour scattered throughout is lovely, some of the content is confronting, but necessary and the humour and reality of the situation balances the seriousness. Many topics are covered but I didn’t feel overwhelmed, just some of the issues include family relationships, culture, domestic violence, poverty, disability, faith, depression, death and after. The author has a very skilled way of approaching the topics, and they are explored with in the scope of families – so there is joy and surprises in every page. I don’t want to share spoilers, so just read the book, it really is lovely and I’m sure you will smile often and feel better after reading The Eulogy. Thank you Better Reading for the opportunity to win and read the book. Toni, QLD, 5 Stars
What’s not to love about Jackie Bailey’s debut novel The Eulogy? I was immediately intrigued by the title and bright cover to start reading and was done over the course of a cold, rainy weekend. The story is told by main character Kathy Bradley as she prepares to write her little sister Annie’s eulogy, arrange her funeral and reunite with her distant siblings. The unbreakable sisterly bond between Kathy and Annie is a real highlight and the pair are mostly inseparable before and during Annie’s struggles with cancer. The author’s writing style is a joy to read and explores different locations and generations of the Bradley family and the history of events that impacted their childhood and adult lives. What I enjoyed most about this novel was the ending. After everything, there is a nice hopefulness. It’s almost as though Kathy is freed from her familial responsibilities and the weight of the past and is able to find her own peace and happiness. I will be keeping an eye out for future works by Jackie Bailey. Rory, NSW, 5 Stars
Perusing the handouts accompanying the book with a brief author background and discussion questions whetted my appetite raising great expectations for my reading experience. The catholic references to rituals, Lourdes and The Saints, holy medals and scapulas rang true and triggered memories of my own catholic upbringing. I loved the journey of the impoverished, dysfunctional large Bradley family with its Vietnamese mother and Australian war veteran father negotiating the tragedy and eventual demise of a disabled sister with a brain tumour & dementia, with Kathy the youngest child both the martyr and the narrator. I enjoyed getting to know the Bradley family and all their foibles and how they dealt with adversity, the health care system and their own demons. I also appreciated the hints on how to write a eulogy that prefaced each chapter. Most of all though, getting to know the worth and bravery of Kathy and Annie whose eulogy it is, will stay with you long after your read and will fill your heart to bursting point. Fran, VIC, 5 Stars
The Eulogy deals with grief in many forms. It’s a story of hope told at times with humour. I was attracted to this novel as I live close to the area that it is set in and having sadly had to prepare a eulogy myself, I was interested in how the lead character, Kathy Bradley, would deal with writing a eulogy for her sister. The Bradley family have had to deal with many issues in their lives, a mother who was prone to violent outbursts, family members dealing with drink problems, but their lives were changed and shaped by the long illness of their beloved sister Annie. The novel focuses on Kathy and why she is seemingly on the point of suicide, just waiting to do her best for her sister at the funeral before she takes the leap. This is a novel I will think about for a while and one I will recommend to friends; the different perspectives provided by this novel could be useful for someone going through it. It also made me think about some of the racial prejudices that many Australians face, we should think more before we judge based on appearances. Many thanks for the opportunity to real this outstanding debut novel. Jacky, QLD, 5 Stars
First and foremost, this book is a love letter from a woman (Kathy) to her dead sister (Annie). It is an examination of family and the role each member plays: the contribution they make, the wounds they carry and the legacy they leave. And it is about reconciling the past in order to identify a way forward. This book is a page turner. Not in a suspenseful need-to-know-what-happens-next kind of way (although there is a trail of breadcrumbs left through the story). It’s subtler than that. It feels familiar and vulnerable. Like a conversation with your closest friend. I often forgot that Kathy was speaking to Annie on these pages. It felt like she was talking to me. Confiding in me. And I didn’t want to leave her side as she poured out her heart, sharing her innermost fears and bravely pulling dark, painful childhood memories up to the surface to stand exposed in the light of day for a moment of reckoning. It’s a heartbreaking novel. Confronting. Messy. Uncomfortable. But, as its bright yellow cover suggests, it carries hope. I will marinade in this book for a long time to come. Eynas, QLD, 5 Stars
This was a truly hard read… for no other reason than the rawness and emotion in this story. Anyone who has lost a loved one through any disease but specifically cancer will truly understand where the writer is coming from. There were moments I cried for the loss of Annie and for those I’ve lost in similar ways. A really incredible read that was hard to read in parts and hard to put down. I loved the unique narrative and undertone of writing a eulogy. A really new concept that was beautifully written. Mercury, NSW, 5 Stars
This novel takes you through the steps of writing a eulogy in eloquent detail – the journey through chronological events, recalling anecdotes and more challenging memories, teasing out of positives, negatives and lessons learned and rolling it all together into a tale of a life, maybe well-lived. It reminds you that, whilst life can be ugly, challenging, disappointing and far from ideal, it is also full of joy, exploration, beauty and moments of sheer perfection. This is a glorious, if sometimes uncomfortable, read. Lee, ACT, 5 Stars
Jackie Bailey’s ‘The Eulogy’ is at once both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Like Pandora’s Box, it reminds us that when life seems to have reached the end there is always hope. Kathy’s response to the illness and death of her beloved older sister Annie is captured as she faces the writing of the eulogy at Annie’s funeral. The lives of the members of the large family are opened up for inspection and only with each revelation do we come closer to understanding Kathy’s own tragedy among the secrets families keep from each other. I had both tears of sadness and a warm fuzzy feeling when I came to the end, believing that hope will see the family through. Kirsten, WA, 5 Stars
A beautifully written and enormously powerful exploration of intergenerational trauma, emotional abuse and disability that uses the sections of a eulogy as an effective vehicle and focus for each section. Laura, VIC, 5 Stars
This is a very poignant story about the death of the central character’s sister. The narrative goes back and forth in time, so it takes a little while to get all the characters straight. I found the book to be well written, although in parts there were plotlines that were just hinted at, and then forgotten. I would have liked those to be expanded on. I also found the ending a little rushed. However, overall the book was well written and enjoyable to read, with good character and story development. Wendi, VIC, 4 Stars
A captivating tale of a large family and the traumas faced in the past and present covering some very important and emotional topics. There is a lot to take in with this book and it is thoroughly enjoyable. Kate, VIC, 4 Stars
Thank you for the copy of The Eulogy by Jackie Bailey. Kathy is in Queensland and getting together with her siblings for her sister Annie’s funeral. As she starts writing the eulogy she looks back on how she has gotten to a place where she is living in her car, running from her husband and has pills in the glovebox ready to take. The general theme of this book is family dynamics. The family members all have their allotted role within the family and it’s interesting to see how that dynamic has changed their lives. Race is another theme throughout the book, but could apply to most people. Disability and poverty are also featured and how they affect family members differently. There was also the love they share despite all this and their connections, especially Kathy and Annie. I felt this was a bit of a darker book which could be seen in a bad way, but the author tied it all together, and to me, it came down to how you perceive your childhood and connections. By the end I felt it was more a hopeful book and one where family is paramount. It gave me a lot to think about. Tara, SA, 4 Stars
Kathy Bradley’s sister Annie has died twenty five years after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. As Kathy organises the funeral with her siblings and writes Annie’s eulogy she reflects on her past and what has led her to be living out of her car with a container full of powdered sleeping pills in the glove box. I was intrigued from the start when I learnt this debut was classified as autofiction. This only made it more poignant and a privilege to read. The novel is uniquely structured around ‘How to Write a Eulogy’ and flicks back and forth between past and present to deliver a heartfelt, empathetic and layered story about death, loss, grief, race, disability, intergenerational trauma and love. There’s a lot packed into Kathy’s family history including some heavy content but ultimately this is a hopeful read and one that will stay with me. Julia, NSW, 4 Stars
The Eulogy is a confronting debut novel by Jackie Bailey. Kathy returns to her childhood home in the Queensland for her sisters funeral. As Kathy writes the eulogy, she reflects on their lives, growing up being the youngest of eight siblings, her sister being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour as a child, dysfunctional parents and traumatic family upbringing. The story touches on topics such as race, disability, trauma, poverty and abuse. It is not all doom and gloom, Kathy also talks about the love and bond between her and her ill sister. It was an interesting read that will stay with me for awhile. Tanya, VIC, 4 Stars
This book was definitely not what I expected! There are secrets in every family, of which this one has many. I was quite shocked and surprised by the revelation of one of the family members towards the end. I liked the way the Eulogy was told in chapter form, explaining the life of Annie and family members, together with Annie’s different relationships with her siblings and parents, and the relationships they all had with each other. This book has a bit of something for everyone: war, racism, abuse, mental health issues, death, bureaucracy, forgiveness, tragedy and love. The book kept me interested and also gave me something to ponder over well after the last page. I am going to choose this book for my book club to read as I think it will invite good discussions on the many issues within the book. I hope Jackie Bailey continues with her writing and I look forward to reading her next book if she does. Yvonne, VIC, 4 Stars
Kathy, with plans of ending her life, gets the phone call to say that her sister, who has been unwell for most her life, is dying. She heads home to be with her. After her sisters death, Kathy takes us on a journey through her dysfunctional family’s history, as she attempts to write an appropriate farewell to her sister ,whom she sees has being her saviour though out her life. Kathy’s family’s journey touches on many difficult social issues but after reflecting back she comes out the other side with a new found need for life. Louise, NSW, 4 Stars
A brutal, heart-wrenching account of a cacophony of family secrets, told around the preparation of a eulogy for one of the seven siblings. This book is like a car crash: as much as you want to look away, it compels you to read on! Mopsy, VIC, 4 Stars
A slow and steady story that follows the main character as she grows up and watches her sister struggle with terminal cancer. The Eulogy includes where her parents grew up etc and the trauma they suffered at the hands of their family. A sad but true representation of appreciating things a little to late and saying all the things we should say when someone is alive. Sharnee, QLD, 3 Stars
This is an absorbing, although sometimes confronting, account of a family’s history written from the perspective of Kathy, one of the daughters, who is returning to her hometown for a funeral. Kathy recounts episodes of hers and her family’s life while composing the eulogy for her sister who has died after having suffered many years from brain cancer. Although the book’s main focus is on grief and family dysfunction, some events and characters are portrayed with humour and warmth. However, the descriptions of traumatic events which included domestic violence and abuse does not make this an easy read and for some it may be triggering. It was not a comfortable read and I would advise caution to readers especially those who have suffered a recent loss. With thanks to Better Reading and Hardie Grant Books for the preview copy. #BRPreview Regina, NSW, 3 Stars
This book made me feel a lot of emotions. Kathy has returned home for the funeral of her beloved sister and in writing the eulogy she looks back over her life, and imagines the life of her mother and father. I found the book very honest, sometimes uncomfortably so. There was a lot of dysfunction in the family but despite this also a very special love for her sister and a bond with her siblings. I am not really sure how I feel about this book but I know I was compelled to keep reading to find out the full story of her life. It’s a book that you will think about long after finishing. Vikkie, QLD, 3 Stars
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