BookBrowse Reviews The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

Clover Brooks, the reclusive heroine of Australian journalist Mikki Brammer's first novel, is not your typical 36-year-old. She was raised by her grandfather, a biology professor, and 13 years after his death still lives in his rent-controlled, oddity-crammed New York City apartment. Her regular companions are her dog and cats and her one friend, 87-year-old Leo, a longtime neighbor with whom she plays mah-jongg. She has never been romantically involved with anyone; her fantasies are based on the romcoms she binge-watches and the perfect relationship she imagines for her neighbors across the street, a couple whom she spies on with binoculars. She avoids making lasting connections with other people, so her job – which entails only brief acquaintanceship – is perfect for her.

You see, Clover is a death doula (see Beyond the Book), meeting terminal patients in their final ...