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Before the Leaves Fall
'Profoundly moving, I loved this book.' —Liz Nugent
Seeking a new purpose in life, Swiss widower Ruedi signs up to work with Depart, an assisted dying organisation. His role is to spend time with those who have sought out Depart's services, acting as a guide and companion in their final weeks.
Margrit, his crotchety first client, wants only to get on with things. Marking time in a care home, with poor health weighing down on her, she has decided it's time to go. Her family are upset by her choice, but she is determined. By the end of the summer, she'll have left the world behind - and on her own terms.
Yet when she and Ruedi realise their paths have crossed once before, an unexpected bond forms. One that will illuminate both their lives.
Seeking a new purpose in life, Swiss widower Ruedi signs up to work with Depart, an assisted dying organisation. His role is to spend time with those who have sought out Depart's services, acting as a guide and companion in their final weeks.
Margrit, his crotchety first client, wants only to get on with things. Marking time in a care home, with poor health weighing down on her, she has decided it's time to go. Her family are upset by her choice, but she is determined. By the end of the summer, she'll have left the world behind - and on her own terms.
Yet when she and Ruedi realise their paths have crossed once before, an unexpected bond forms. One that will illuminate both their lives.
169 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 23, 2025
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Clare O'Dea
5 books37 followersOriginally from Dublin, Clare O'Dea is the author of two non-fiction books, two novels and a collection of articles. Her fiction, non-fiction and journalism often explore Swiss themes and settings.
Clare lives in Switzerland on the invisible border where the Swiss-German and French-speaking cultures meet. Her books have been published in Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Clare lives in Switzerland on the invisible border where the Swiss-German and French-speaking cultures meet. Her books have been published in Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 26, 2025
Clare O'Dea excels in speaking large ideas within the space of small novels allowing the reader to see the ripple effect for themselves.
We are in Switzerland again, a place riven with brooding contradictions and the two main protagonists being similarly afflicted. Margrit is a woman in her late eighties requesting end of life, Ruedi (a retired railway worker) is the facilitator assigned to her case.
The story is presented from three perspectives - individually and together. Both characters are grounded and both looking back on their lives and families. This presents as re-assessing their part in the lives of others and examining their upbringings (and overlap) as a part of how they turned out. Both characters had a familiarity which made me wonder if they had appeared in "Voting Day"
The brevity of the work synchronises perfectly with the process of applying, being granted and carrying out assisted dying.
Another small but perfectly formed novel.
We are in Switzerland again, a place riven with brooding contradictions and the two main protagonists being similarly afflicted. Margrit is a woman in her late eighties requesting end of life, Ruedi (a retired railway worker) is the facilitator assigned to her case.
The story is presented from three perspectives - individually and together. Both characters are grounded and both looking back on their lives and families. This presents as re-assessing their part in the lives of others and examining their upbringings (and overlap) as a part of how they turned out. Both characters had a familiarity which made me wonder if they had appeared in "Voting Day"
The brevity of the work synchronises perfectly with the process of applying, being granted and carrying out assisted dying.
Another small but perfectly formed novel.
November 21, 2025
Ruedi has his first assisted dying client, Margrit.
Before the Leaves Fall is magnificent. It’s one of those quiet books that permeates the reader’s soul and ensures an indelible impact. I adored it.
A book about a person – Margrit – deciding that they wish to die before the autumn, thereby avoiding yet another winter, perhaps sounds grim and unappealing. Before the Leaves Fall, however, is absolutely not depressing and miserable. Instead, it is a beautifully written insight into humanity, our flaws and the means to atone and come to terms with both ourselves and others. Not a single word is wasted in this exquisite narrative.
I found Before the Leaves Fall intensely moving. There’s no fast paced plot here, but rather a stunning exploration of character through both Ruedi and Margrit that called to me when I wasn’t reading and left me feeling as if I knew these two people intimately. Clare O’Dea’s writing ensured I felt a visceral connection to them. I loved the way in which they both learn from Margrit’s decision to end her life and thoroughly appreciated the gentle message that it is never too late to change, to make amends and to find acceptance. There’s an intensity resulting from the reduced number of characters too that plunges the reader right into the heart of the story.
The themes of the novel are as eternal and profound as the exploration of character. Clare O’Dea considers grief, love, family, acceptance and, essentially, life. The narrative is written with such sensitivity, such understanding and without any judgment so that it provokes intense thought in the reader, genuinely impacting their entire outlook.
I am aware that I have actually said very little about Before the Leaves Fall, but it is a book to experience for yourself rather than to describe to others. I thought it was utterly wonderful and cannot recommend it highly enough.
Before the Leaves Fall is magnificent. It’s one of those quiet books that permeates the reader’s soul and ensures an indelible impact. I adored it.
A book about a person – Margrit – deciding that they wish to die before the autumn, thereby avoiding yet another winter, perhaps sounds grim and unappealing. Before the Leaves Fall, however, is absolutely not depressing and miserable. Instead, it is a beautifully written insight into humanity, our flaws and the means to atone and come to terms with both ourselves and others. Not a single word is wasted in this exquisite narrative.
I found Before the Leaves Fall intensely moving. There’s no fast paced plot here, but rather a stunning exploration of character through both Ruedi and Margrit that called to me when I wasn’t reading and left me feeling as if I knew these two people intimately. Clare O’Dea’s writing ensured I felt a visceral connection to them. I loved the way in which they both learn from Margrit’s decision to end her life and thoroughly appreciated the gentle message that it is never too late to change, to make amends and to find acceptance. There’s an intensity resulting from the reduced number of characters too that plunges the reader right into the heart of the story.
The themes of the novel are as eternal and profound as the exploration of character. Clare O’Dea considers grief, love, family, acceptance and, essentially, life. The narrative is written with such sensitivity, such understanding and without any judgment so that it provokes intense thought in the reader, genuinely impacting their entire outlook.
I am aware that I have actually said very little about Before the Leaves Fall, but it is a book to experience for yourself rather than to describe to others. I thought it was utterly wonderful and cannot recommend it highly enough.
November 3, 2025
I love this book! Its portrayal of the Swiss is spot on, and its portrait of two lonely and secretive people who reach out to each other in spite of themselves is perfect — and poignant. Ruedi, a recent widower looking to fill his time and be useful, and Margrit, a widow in a nursing home, are brought together because Margrit wants to end her life through assisted suicide. Ruedi works for an organization that makes this possible, and Margrit is his first client. As they navigate the formalities the assisted suicide process requires, they find themselves asking each other questions. Their tentative contact eventually leads them to reexamine and evaluate their childhoods and their roles as spouses, parents, and grandparents, in their thoughts and in conversation with each other. My identification with Margrit and Ruedi grew as the book progressed, until I, too, was taking a fresh look at aspects of my past.
This is a book you'll want to discuss with a friend when you finish it—I highly recommend it!
This is a book you'll want to discuss with a friend when you finish it—I highly recommend it!
November 30, 2025
Before the Leaves Fall is engaging, gentle and moving. The two main characters, Margrit, the client, and Ruedi, the representative from Depart, hold their own in this understated drama that focuses on Margrit's desire to have an assisted death due to her ill-health.
As the reader gets to know Margrit better, her terse and unforgiving character can be better understood. She is not close to her two, very different sons, and any regrets are too late. She is weary of life, of struggling with poor health and disability, and is seeking a well-organised way to depart with dignity.
Ruedi, on the other hand, is a kind, slightly chaotic retired train conductor, filling a space in his life by being a Depart representative. He has an unfortunate relationship with his daughter and her son.
When he discovers that he did actually know Margrit from many years ago (a big coincidence upon which the simple plot hinges), he shares memories with Margrit, and they travel together on a nostalgic visit to the farm where she lived, and he stayed as a child.
I wasn't entirely satisfied with the way in which this 'unexpected bond' played out. Firstly, their relationship seemed to overstep professional guidelines, although it was sanctioned by his supervisor. Secondly, to me, their interactions seemed superficial.
The tender ending in the Epilogue is effective in tying together an unresolved thread. This is certainly a book worth reading. Start with low expectations, and you will be rewarded in the reading experience. I hoped for more depth.
As the reader gets to know Margrit better, her terse and unforgiving character can be better understood. She is not close to her two, very different sons, and any regrets are too late. She is weary of life, of struggling with poor health and disability, and is seeking a well-organised way to depart with dignity.
Ruedi, on the other hand, is a kind, slightly chaotic retired train conductor, filling a space in his life by being a Depart representative. He has an unfortunate relationship with his daughter and her son.
When he discovers that he did actually know Margrit from many years ago (a big coincidence upon which the simple plot hinges), he shares memories with Margrit, and they travel together on a nostalgic visit to the farm where she lived, and he stayed as a child.
I wasn't entirely satisfied with the way in which this 'unexpected bond' played out. Firstly, their relationship seemed to overstep professional guidelines, although it was sanctioned by his supervisor. Secondly, to me, their interactions seemed superficial.
The tender ending in the Epilogue is effective in tying together an unresolved thread. This is certainly a book worth reading. Start with low expectations, and you will be rewarded in the reading experience. I hoped for more depth.
November 3, 2025
Was at the book launch and the book sounded intriguing.
November 10, 2025
Wonderful little book.
November 15, 2025
I absolutely loved this book
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November 26, 2025I learned of this book via this post: https://alifeinbooks.co.uk/2025/11/be...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews