Sandrel, J: Book of Wonders

3,5 Stars

Thelma's son Louis (yes, he is named because of the 90s movie and ideally should have been a girl) is in a coma after an accident with no sign of any brain activity. The doctors give him another month to wake up, otherwise they will stop the life-sustaining measures.
Faced with this deadline, Thelma is determined to fulfill Louis' bucket list that she finds accidentally in his room. And so she spends the next 30 days in unexpected situations.

I find the idea of the mother ticking off the things from her sons bucket list very heart-warming. It's a great idea! BUT, and this is a major but: if this means that I'm away from my son, the person I love the most in the whole wide world, for more than only a couple of hours a day, I wouldn't do it. No way! Especially if the chances are high that these are the last days I might get to see him. On the other hand, Thelma is doing it not only to fulfil her sons dreams (which in itself would have been a grand gesture), but most importantly to tell him about it and thereby bringing him back to the world of the living.

There are several items on this bucket list, and Thelma ticks them off to the best of her abilities. But some things are actually a bit weird for a 12 year old! Writing a letter to your 10-year-older self? Stripping off in a classroom?? Seeing a traditional wedding in Tokyo??? Those are really the dreams of a 12-year-old boy? I'm not convinced.
Still, I quite enjoyed reading this story, but then got a bit disappointed by the sudden and abrupt ending. And instead of an epilogue we only get a letter by Thelma writing to herself in 10 years time and what she hopes will have happenend by then. But will this become a reality? I can only wonder...