Kennedy's Goodbye by Kati Rose
Enlightening, Comprehensive, Complex
Genres: Contemporary Fiction/Spiritual
Kennedy is the youngest of an Irish/American Family. Her family or, her parents at least, are devout Catholics. Likewise her schooling is of the same persuasion. From a younger age, her daily life has encompassed curiosity and hyper-conciousness of her actions translating as a committal of one the seven deadly sins, or flouting.any of the Ten Commandments. After an older sibling she is close to moves away, she finds herself in a house of people who, whilst they are relatives, she has no idea of how to relate to any of them, and while she has a spell of forming more of a bond with her father, that abruptly comes to an end when the family receives shocking news. As Kennedy gets older, and with each re-occurence of the thing that changes her perspective, she begins to question her faith and how contradictory the demands of religion are, when faced with everyday realities and tempting distractions, not to mention how God could allow such a prolonged period of sporadic unsettling devastation to infiltrate such a fragile group of souls.
This genre of book was a new one for me. I usually avoid anything that remotely touches on religious matters. However, the title piqued my curiosity, and when it became clear that this was a somewhat light-heated and humorous look at what could easily be, and probably has been reality for many, I began to ease into it. The writing seems a little chaotic, but that seems to be in-keeping with a child's thoughts; confused and attempting to navigate her way to getting what she believes she wants, that seem so opposed to the restrictions that her faith imposes on her. Kennedy seemingly has a Bible quote, a Commandment or a sin that she can recite for every situation or predicament that she believes puts her in questionable territory, and as she moves forward in life, she refers back to these experiences that made an impression on her, reflecting on past issues and comparing them to the present.. she recalls people from her past by remembering something about them, a feeling or an action and seems to take away something from each of these experiences. Particularly those individuals who have in some way expressed a fondness for her. She is pulled in different directions and influenced by each acquaintance and friend, and has to keep referring to her own moral compass for guidance, which is tested constantly through infatuation, betrayal and wondering why she continues to feel that she should be upholding her own virtuousness, when all around her is evidence to the contrary. Her attempt at reconciling these two narratives is humorous for those who haven't had a particularly religious up-bringing, along with the name that she creates for her somewhat estranged mother, her comprehension of her mother's time in hospital, the kidnapping of a special present at the hands of her infant niece (sin baby) and the advice given to her from Rog prior to her first Holy Communion, 'Duck when the Bishop swings'! 
The end result appears to be a very thoughtful young woman, whilst she respects her parent's beliefs and the exposure to events during her childhood that she would not have had, had it not have been for her God-fearing upbringing, she realises that she must lead her own life and if required, reap the consequences. Her final reflection on a time before any of that mattered is somewhat heart-breaking. 
I enjoyed this book immensely. It has also taught me a few things of which I wasn't previously aware, and led to discussions with my partner that I never considered we'd have. As pretty much with every read, I would welcome a sequel. Kennedy is a very likeable character, as are all the characters that take an active part (except for maybe one) in this enquiring, thoughtful girl's journey of self-discovery.
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