Thank you to Gallery Books for providing me with a copy of J. Michael Straczynski’s novel, Together We Will Go, in exchange for an honest review.

A little over a dozen strangers reply to a cryptic newspaper ad aimed at attracting people who wish to commit group suicide by plunging over a cliff in San Francisco. The author of the ad, Mark, is an unpublished writer who has lost hope and he promises the others in the group a fantastic bus ride across America, filled with excitement, as they head to their final destination.

A motley bunch joins this quest, including Karen, a young woman with a devastating medical condition, Vaughn, a senior grieving for his deceased wife, and Zeke, a drug addict who is traveling with his dying cat. The travelers agree to sign a waiver and to upload their stories and thoughts on their journey, both in verbal and written form, to a cloud-server, which they will leave behind as a type of art project from the beyond.

Together We Will Go is emotional and affecting, yet often hilarious and unexpected. I have to confess that I am usually triggered by stories of suicide. My father killed himself when I was four and I still carry deep anger and resentment towards both him and the situation. I find it difficult to find compassion or reason in suicide, yet Straczynski’s story allowed me to connect with his characters and their very individual reasons for making this choice. It’s hard to see their suffering and decisions as a simple, black and white issue. This gave me perspective.

I’ve never read a novel quite like Together We Will Go. I could not have anticipated the twists or the ending, all of which were satisfying. I cried and even had to stop reading over Zeke and his beloved cat. (I’m a cat person and it hit close to the heart.) Straczynski’s biggest strength is in the way he developed the relationships between the characters, some are very unexpected, yet all feel real. This was an especially big feat, as Together We Will Go has a large ensemble cast. Early in the story, I did get the characters a bit muddled, but I quickly was able to keep everything straight in my mind. Each character and their individual story is necessary and important. I felt connected to all of them and a bit crushed when the story ended.

Together We Will Go is simply a beautiful story. I finished it a week ago and it is still at the forefront of my mind. Straczynski handles a very complicated and difficult subject with grace and care. I highly recommend adding Together We Will Go to your TBR list.

Also, on a personal note, I was very happy that “Karen” is a likable and empathetic character, not like the “Karen” memes that have been going around the last few years. As a fellow Karen, this was nice to see!