Alternative Remedies for Loss

by Joanna Cantor

A slyly funny coming-of-age novel about a young woman fumbling her way into the mysteries of loss and the travails of adulthood as she tries to make sense of a vanished mother’s legacy.

When 22-year-old Olivia learned that her mother had only months to live, she pulled up roots, leaving Vassar and her career plans far behind to be with her mother for her last days. And yet, just four months after her mother’s death, everyone in Olivia’s family already seems ready to move on. Her brothers are settled comfortably in careers and families of their own; her father has already started to date again, inviting a woman named June on a family trip. Still reeling from the loss, Olivia looks for a new start of her own, throwing herself headlong into Manhattan’s fast-moving media world, where she is alternately demeaned by bosses and pursued by men.
But as Olivia tries to piece together an adulthood without her mother to guide her, she makes a shocking discovery: a secret romantic correspondence her mother had with a man who only signed each letter “F.” As she tries to untangle the mystery of F, Olivia will journey halfway across the world, to an ashram in rural India, on a quest that will reconfigure everything Olivia thought she knew about her family and her own place in an increasingly complex world.

A profoundly moving and keenly observed contemplation of the debts we owe to the past and the ways we discover our futures, Alternative Remedies for Loss is the rare sort of book that can break and mend your heart in a single and unforgettable read.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Grief, Novels, Chick Lit, Literary Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2018

About the author

Joanna Cantor received her M.F.A. from Brooklyn College and her B.A. from Colorado College. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s Sunday morning at 4:45am. I literally finished this book seconds ago. I love writing my reviews from bed- in the dark next to my sleeping guy. :)
This was a terrific Maui- vacation - cozy- under-the covers/ and lounging by the pool read: Both!

Without sounding cliche...this a great woman’s beach/type novel....that’s great in fall and winter, too. Besides...I ‘am’ at the beach ‘now’ in December...so all around....
it works any season.

The blurb describes the basic plot. Immediately what I liked was the authenticity of 20 year old Olivia....with an edge to her!
She’s smart- savvy- but scared too. She’s a little loss. It can be a ‘bitch-of-a-big- world’ for a 20 year old girl - no matter how much family support and college education you have.... and those things help ... but one must grow themselves up. Nobody can do that for us. The character/ creation of Olivia is very real.
Olivia was definitely struggling....triggered by her mother’s death. She took a leave from Vassar College with only one semester left to graduate - wanting to be home with her mother during her last days of cancer.

But after Olivia’s mother died... 4 months later, she still was not functioning well.
I’m not going to share ‘what’ she does .... a little shocking....VERY MUCH OUT OF CHARACTER....’impulsive’ bold move....
but what I found so great about it .... risky as hell ...is that for the rest of Olivia’s life ( good or bad - shameful- or compassionate of thyself)... it would be one of those memories that will stay with her forever! WE ALL HAVE THOSE THINGS TO LOOK BACK ON IN OUR LIVES.
Think about it.... have you ever done something - around age 2O... ( the ‘real’ coming of age)....that was out of character for you?.....so spontaneous- perhaps dangerous- definitely not thought through? So much so - you ‘really’ couldn’t believe what you just did?

When I was 19 - I did something similar to Olivia.....lost, searching, growing up in a round- about way......I bolted from my life as I knew it.
Within about 3 weeks ...I changed course completely for the next 2 years ....leaving Berkeley: I went to Israel first....then to India (traveled overland from Greece through the Middle Eastern countries hitchhiking and/or took crowded trains). They call it the hippie trail today. I was young - foolish - and lucky as hell.

Besides a ‘couple’ of trips to India, for Olivia, ( one with her family - another alone), she does something early on in this novel ..... not only once - but twice, that MAKES FOR INTERESTING READING! ( made my head spin with judgements and evaluations)... as in “what the f#+k”?) .....

Much to enjoy about this book. It’s sad - it’s funny - it’s intimate.
The relationships between Olivia and her brothers - best friend - other friends - people she works with - her dad - her dad’s new girlfriend are all engaging. We care about Olivia most of all.
The writing flows effortlessly...naturally ...great contemporary scenes with Yoga - spin classes - dating - girl time - bar scenes - restaurants - pizza nights - film making/ thesis project-- and a little mystery/unraveling information about her mother after her death.

I fully enjoyed Joanna Cantor’s first novel, and will look forward to reading more books by her.

This book will be released in stores - May 2018

Thank you Nicole/ Bloomsbury for sending me a copy....loved it!

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT DO I EVEN SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK.

it perfectly straddled the line between chick lit and literary fiction. it had a protagonist who should've been bratty and unlikable and bleh, and instead was so understandable and endearing. it only had SIX CHAPTERS, WHICH IS INSANE, but still read easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. (kinda.) it was funny and sad and happy and angry and angering. all of the characters (of which there were M A N Y) felt full and human and flawed and still likable. (except michel.) the descriptions are so lush and real and beautiful. i love this writer's style.

overall, this book seemed to barely have a plot, seems mostly to be just following someone's like, and then you hit the last fifty pages and you're like oh, wow. the development arc, and the mourning arc, and the narrative arc - all of the arcs! they're all great.

at times this could be dry and hard to get through. there were some moments when i was really like GUYS!!! YOU WHOLE FAMILY!!! GET YOURSELVES TOGETHER!!! it wasn't a perfect read, but i did like it so so much. i hope a lot of people read this book.

bottom line: i feel like all these characters are people that populate my real life??? so i'm going to need the author to figure out how to write them into existence, otherwise it's about to get pretty lonely around here.

thanks so so much to bloomsbury for providing me a copy!

[Jessica (Odd and Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free as part of an Instagram tour I did to promote the book.

The author did a fantastic job taking you on a journey with the main character, Olivia, following her mother’s death. You really get an in-depth look into Olivia’s mind and how she feels. Olivia felt very real. Sometimes books that are the “coming of age self discovery” type, end up being excessive and unrealistic. The characters will do crazy things and end up in situations that probably would never happen in real life. Luckily this book did not go down that path. Everything Olivia did made sense and the things that happened to her were not too far fetched.

I also really loved the supporting characters. Olivia’s family were a great addition to the story and seeing how they coped with things provided an interesting contrast to Olivia and her situation. It was also nice to see how Olivia’s attitude towards June, her father’s girlfriend, changed throughout the novel. That was excellent character development.

The writing style was very easy and effortless, making it a pleasure to read. I read this book very quickly. The writing style just made me fly right through it.

The reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 was because it was missing that spark. I enjoyed the book a lot, but there wasn’t that special something to make me stop and go, “Wow.”

Overall, this was a well written coming of age tale and I look forward to seeing what else the author puts out in the coming years.

For more book reviews, be sure to check out my blog: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/

[Cece (ProblemsOfaBookNerd)]

DNF at 39%

I just can’t force myself through this anymore. Review to come later.

[Esil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Alternative Remedies for Loss. It was nothing particularly original, but the emotions felt authentic. The story focuses on Olivia, who is in her early 20s and who’s mother has recently died of a brain tumour. Her father seems to move on quickly with another woman and her two older brothers appear to be in control of their emotions. But Olivia is untethered. There are awkward family scenes, bad decisions about relationships, equivocations over work and education, and a quest to find out more about her mother. But the plot is a bit besides the point. What works well is Cantor’s depiction of Olivia’s grief. There is no prescription for the path grief must take. And Cantor does a good job depicting Olivia’s grief through her odd decisions and actions. The writing is strong and the emotions feel real — ingredients that made for a good read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I generally don't like novels with very young protagonists, somehow I never build up a true sense of understanding and empathy; this book is quite the opposite.
Despite the fact that Olivia is a young woman searching for herself, while dealing with her memories of her mother, I truly identified with her character. This is a tribute to the author who made youthful confusion, angst and the job of maturing and facing life crises so clear and accessible.

Olivia is reeling from the death of a beloved mother, trying to understand how her father has moved on while she is stuck in memories and regrets. She had left school to spend every moment with her mother after her terminal diagnosis and now she is adrift, not ready to return to school and not prepared for the adult world.

Of course, she makes several missteps in relationships and at work. The reader has to hope that she will true her course and move on. She is well-supported by her brother, but must deal with negative feelings toward June, her father's new partner.

Her greatest crime is her obsessional love for her mother. It is in searching through her mother's things that she comes upon letters, signed F. It is her search for F and the eventual meetings that help guide her to a path toward maturity, and hopefully, happiness.

This is not a simple, pretty read, it is complex and emotional. Cantor does an incredible job of bringing Olivia and her family to life. She is forced to face the inevitable need to move on and Cantor ends simply with Olivia finally moving past her year of inertia. No fairy tale endings here, simply a realistic look at a young woman slowly taking charge of her life after great loss.

I must say I loved the book, and I loved the character of Olivia. Strangely, I found two other female characters extremely sympathetic, Ty's fiancée Christina and the "interloper" June. This is a must read.

[Lianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

** A copy of Alternative Remedies for Loss was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review **

And here I am, after finishing yet another 'young protagonist struggling with life and their place in it' novel feeling the same way I feel over and over again. Underwhelmed, a little frustrated and wishing for more. Alternative Remedies for Loss isn't any better or worse than other novels of it's ilk, if anything it's probably slightly better than middle of the road. The story of Olivia, the youngest of three children grasping with family dynamics and life in the aftermath of her mother's death from cancer was definitely written with care. My problem, as seems to always be the case with these books, is that Olivia's plight felt overindulgent and improbable. I was expecting the story to progress through her journey with grief, but instead it felt like a selfish portrayal of how much she could get away with in the name of that grief.

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
'It felt like an iconic moment in the movie of her life gone sour. She knew she should go home- it was just one regrettable night of drinks, nothing that couldn’t be washed off.'

Olivia left Vassar to be with her mother during her final days, and something inside of her withers with the immense loss. Everyone else in her family is coping far better than her. Olivia’s father is dating a woman named June, who seems a bit ‘too comfortable’ for Olivia’s liking, inviting her on a family trip that was meant to be a healing after her mother’s death. “Her anger was a poison that wouldn’t stop spreading until it had infected every part of that trip.” It’s hard not to understand her emotional

She knows she should be putting her life in some semblance of order, instead she allows herself to rebel, to make men ‘earn’ her time. This pivotal moment will rear its ugly head later, because sometimes when you roll in the dirt, it leaves stains. Olivia is young and crashing along, making mistakes, very self-centered but the young often are. That’s not an accusation, when we’re young everything tends to revolve around us, because we don’t have other things pulling us away, we’re so focused on trying to figure out not just who we are and who we want to be but also, how to attain the future we want. You throw relationships and loss into that mix, and it can spell disaster. Olivia can’t see past her nose sometimes, but as the only daughter she has a different way of relating in the family dynamic. Mothers and daughters have a unique bond, there is never enough time to take away everything we need.

Finding letters to her mother from the mysterious F is not something she can let go of, and it puts her on a sort of spiritual quest, that ends up giving her more questions than answers. Her mother was the spiritual one, not her. This is default, this is a way to connect to her mother. That she was a person, with her own longings and needs, not just a mother, that she had her own choice to make about her illness, will leave Olivia rocking. The truth is, she can’t move forward without looking back. Maybe we never fully understand our family anymore than we can dissect the things we do to ourselves.

As Olivia unravels, she falls pretty low, but somewhere inside of her remains the smart, hopeful, strong woman she has yet become.

Publication Date: May 8, 2018

Bloomsbury USA

[Novel Visits · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Thoughts: Joanna Cantor wisely opened Alternative Remedies for Loss with a short preface that completely grabbed me. From that brief glimpse at Olivia, I definitely wanted to know more. I think this story of a 22-year old woman trying to live with the loss of her mother will appeal to many young women.

“Olivia missed her mom in a way that felt like vertigo.”

Olivia still had her father and two older brothers, but the hole left in her life seemed bottomless. From there, her story moved all over the place, at times feeling almost frantic. But, of course, Olivia was at a frantic place in her life, trying to navigate the dual paths of loss and finding herself without her mother’s guidance.

The book worked very well for me for the first half. It felt like a good mash-up of contemporary fiction and coming-of-age with a little humor thrown in. I was able to overlook the unlikely choices characters made. For example, four months after his children’s mother died, Olivia’s father planned a family trip to India in her honor. He brought along the woman he had begun dating. Four months? Who does that? Olivia made many questionable choices of her own, and by the second half, I’d grown weary of suspending my disbelief. Sadly, the book completely bogged down. A whole tie in with yoga throughout the book felt forced and for me dragged. In the end, Olivia did make growth, but she was a train wreck right up until then. Alternative Remedies for Loss, unfortunately, was one of those books where I liked the main character less and less as her story progressed. Still, Cantor’s writing was solid and I’d definitely give her sophomore effort a try!

Originally on Novel Visits: https://novelvisits.com/mini-reviews-...

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alternative Remedies for Loss is the story of Olivia, a 22 year old, who has recently lost her mother to cancer. Everyone in her family has seemingly moved on, including her father who has a girlfriend already. Olivia is lost without her mothers guiding force and is stumbling through adulthood like a lost little puppy. I could relate to Olivia, losing a parent is an earthquake that shakes your very foundation. Grieving a parent can really shake up your life. This book takes you from New York to India as Olivia tries to find her new normal. This book had great promise but unfortunately fell flat for me. While I could relate to what Olivia was feeling, she came across as selfish and incredibly self absorbed. I enjoyed reading about her time in India and the descriptions of the temples she visited and the ashram she stayed at. Thank you @bloomsburypublishing for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

[Tina Panik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia is completely lost when her mom dies—yet this is not a sad book, as it’s about Olivia’s growth and the consequences of her impulsiveness. You’ll cheer her on as she messes up, then corrects, then messes up her life again and again. Her excursions to India, and her interactions with her siblings, are really well done.

This was an ARC.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was completely different than what I thought it was going to be like but in a good way.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but I also felt like there was something missing - like I was waiting for something to happen that didn’t and it felt unsatisfying. It also felt like it took a very long time to get going. There was a pretty surprising and fascinating scene right at the beginning - and then.... There were also a lot of characters that felt extraneous and sometimes they confused me a little - her friends were especially easy to mix up.

[Danielle Maupai · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is so refreshing to read a story about a character in her early 20s who actually feels real--feels familiar from that period in my own life--in the way she thinks, speaks, feels, acts. It's such a strange, singular phase to reflect back on...in that you maybe miss certain things about the way you experienced life and also can't believe you used to experience life that way! Olivia Harris is a great protagonist--she's at once lovable and, at times, vexing...totally relatable.

This book really grabbed me, fairly early on, and kept me awake reading at night (not an easy feat for a copy editor/stay-at-home mom who can barely focus her eyes at the end of the day). The plot has several twists and turns and kept me guessing about how each of the characters would end up in the final pages. It is not sad, despite the subject matter, but it is poignant as it works through the primary relationships in Olivia's life and how each is impacted by the loss. The dialogue was very witty and, to repeat from above, refreshing--and the different settings of the book, particularly the scenes in India, really came to life from the vivid, specific description.

A definite recommend!

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The premise is a 22-year-old, Olivia, trying to find her way in the world after the death of her mother to cancer. Olivia makes some unfortunate mistakes trying to find her way but ends up in an ok place while learning a lot about herself and her family along the way.

I felt that Olivia’s character was very relatable and very real. She isn’t perfect, she has very raw emotions and she is indecisive. Yet she is utterly endearing and likable and I found myself rooting for her to find the right path for her and ultimate happiness.

I also loved the descriptions of the various settings in this. Both New York City and, particularly, India were clearly brought to life with vivid colors, sounds and imagery. It made me feel as if I were actually there.

On a personal note, Joanna Cantor will be coming to the Avon Free Public Library where I work on May 10. Myself, colleagues and library patrons are so looking forward to meeting her, so please join us if you are in the area.

Overall, an excellent read!

Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and to Joanna Cantor for the ARC giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

As Olivia deals with her mother's recent death, she kind of flails her way through everything else. She uncovers a mystery related to her mom. There's no plot (or catharsis) other than Olivia stumbling through life and presumably ending up on the right track by the end. Yet the book sometimes feels all over the place and several questions remain.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe after you read a girls guide to hunting and fishing all the tropes of women coping by making bad decisions about relationships seem unoriginal. I liked the descriptions of color in this novel but the premise felt like something I’d somehow read before.

[Christina (Christinasdialectic) · Rating 2 out of 5]

CW: loss of a parent, drug use

I'm lukewarm on this one. I could have DNF'd but I was curious how it was going to end.

Only four months after her mother's death, everyone in Olivia's family seems ready to move on. Her brothers are settled comfortably in careers and families of their own; her father has already started to date again, inviting a woman named June on a family trip. But, as Olivia struggles to get her life back on track without her mom, she discovers a secret romantic correspondence her mother had with a man who signed each letter “F.” Her journey to find F's identity, leads Olivia to an ashram in rural India, on a quest that will reconfigure everything Olivia thought she knew about her family.

The concept is interesting. Do we know our parents as well as we think we do? How does the loss of a loved one and grief affect a family and change/strain relationships? And like the title of the book suggests, everyone has their own remedy for processing grief and loss. Great ideas but I just didn't enjoy the execution.

My other issue with this book is that we really only get the tourist-oriented side of India. I recognize that Olivia is a tourist. But when I think of how integral India has been in other stories (languages, religions, food, climate, geography etc) there wasn't much here at all.

Why use words like "weird" and "strange" that are known to have negative connotations? I should have DNF'd there but I trudged on. Finally, the few interactions that Oliva does have outside of tourist-oriented India, tend to be negative learning. Based on the framing what does that suggest about other parts of India? The parts that aren't tourist-oriented?

Although I didn't particularly enjoy the book, it gave me lots to think about. Books like this usually lead to an exercise in informal dialectics in my house and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[Roxanne Meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars! I really liked this one and read it fast. The yoga element def added to it for me but it was a good story!

[Mahnoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough but nothing too wow about it.

[Lindsay]

Love!

Pure pleasure to read. Smart. Witty. Cantor is a beautiful writer. Very successful debut novel. Can’t wait to see what she writes next!

[Ronni Greenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get a copy of this wonderful book in advance of publication. Joanna is a brilliant writer and I thoroughly enjoyed reading her first book. Can't wait for the next one!

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It's not that I don't like it, but I find it hard to pick back up. I will finish it as it is the ARC from Goodreads; however, it has not peaked my interest so far.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

One hundred pages in and I forgot there was going to be a thread of a mystery with the protagonist's mother. The exploration of the main character, Olivia Harris, and her struggle to deal with her grief over the loss of her mother was story enough.

Once the unraveling of the mother's mystery began, the pacing if the story seemed to lag. There were a lot of details about traveling and living arrangements that didn't further the story's depth or momentum. I wish the middle of the story had been more tightly edited.

I enjoyed this, the family relationships and the characters were well done. I like this author's writing and will definitely look for Joanna Cantor's next novel.

[Olha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know why the synopsis of ‘Alternative Remedies for Loss’ by Joanna Cantor says it’s ‘slyly funny’ novel, because I wasn’t laughing or smiling while reading. The story was messy, chaotic and that is exactly why I like it.

As we know from the synopsis, the novel is about a girl Olivia whose mother recently died. Olivia couldn’t move on and seemed annoyed that her brothers and father could. So she was all alone with her sadness. I think, that was the reason why she did some stupid things and was not really nice with her family. I liked all that messy things and Olivia’s thoughts. It felt real.

Also, I liked reading about trips to India and Olivia discovering yoga. It was nice and simply described, so I could totally imagine all the places where Olivia was. It was even inspiring for me to google about those places in India and now I am thinking about doing some yoga too.

What I didn’t like is that the novel was a little chaotic and not chronologic. One chapter ends in one place, and another begins with something unknown for us. You think ‘how did Olivia end up here?’ and then author explains. For me it is annoying, when I know future events before I know how we came to them. It just takes more time to understand a few pages of a new chapter.

I’m not sure that I would recommend this novel to all my friends, because I myself still don’t know whether I like ‘Alternative Remedies for Loss’ or I will forget about this novel with time. But something attracted me in this book, I was just so comfortable with the plot and all the characters, even if I don’t like all of them. I felt as if I was prying into someone else’s life. All in all, I definitely had a good time with this book.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

When Olivia learned that her mom had been diagnosed with cancer and given just 3 months to live, she pulled out of her last semester of college to be with her mom for the time she had left. Now that her mom is dead, Olivia doesn't know how to go on with life and is miffed and confused that her dad and brothers seem to have no problem moving on. Unsure what to do but not ready to go back to school, Olivia gets a job in New York City and proceeds to make bad decisions with her life.

I kept going back and forth in this book between completely understanding how lost Olivia felt after the loss of a parent and really not liking Olivia and the decisions she made. Olivia came from a life of privilege and definitely took it for granted. I was not a fan of the constant drug use in the book. One thing I didn't like about the writing was that the transitions in the book seemed abrupt. I kept having to go back and re-read the first few paragraphs of each jump in time because they were so unexpected and not lining up with what had come directly before it.

[Sarah at Sarah's Bookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Bloomsbury USA and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I bet you wouldn’t expect a novel about grief to be a light, easy read, but Joanna Cantor’s debut novel is both! I flew through it in just a few days at the beach…and it was an excellent beach read despite the focus on grief. During the Prologue, I was wavering about whether or not to continue reading, then something completely unexpected and interesting happened that caused me to keep going…and I’m so glad I did. This element isn’t a huge focus of the plot, but it was the pivotal moment that got me engrossed in the book. Beyond Olivia’s grief, Alternative Remedies for Loss is a story about a family trying to figure out their new normal after the loss of their mother and a daughter trying to get to know who her mother was as a person, beyond her role as mother and wife.

Visit https://www.sarahsbookshelves.com for more reviews.

[Spellcheck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say I enjoyed this one. I found Olivia to be annoying and frustrating. I can give her a pass for some of her behaviors because she just lost her mother, and her father gets into another relationship rather quickly. But her behavior with G and Marcel at work... really? There is a word for that, and it is NOT flattering. And to behave that way with clients? Youth and grief are not an excuse for that.

The girl is a disaster, and seems to be incapable of learning from her mistakes. While she does exhibit some character growth, you only really get a hint of that at the very end of the book, then the story wraps up rather quickly.

On the other hand, Cantor's writing was very good. I'd definitely give her another read, but cannot recommend this book. Hopefully, the next main character will be more likable.

[Joseph Piekarski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best novel I have read in 2018 ! I read it over a weekend!
I really enjoyed this novel! Cantor's writing about a family dealing with a loss was fresh, witty and intelligent. I see some other reviews mention the main character, Olivia, not being likable enough or making questionable choices. This puzzles me--I'm not sure why we would only want to read about characters who are always well behaved, as it's not that interesting to me and not true to life for that mater. When I read, I'm hoping for a protagonist who seems genuine, multifaceted, and able to surprise me, and on these metrics, Cantor really succeeds. I found the story, characters, and writing engaging from beginning to end. Highly recommend!

[Sarah Perchikoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did not turn out to be at all what I expected when I first read the synopsis. I didn't expect there to be so much introspection from of the main character. I guess I expected more romance but there is much more self-discovery than anything else. Olivia goes on a journey and comes back figuring out what she wants (at least for being in her 20s) and who she is. She also finds out things about her mother that makes her rethink their relationship. But before I get too much into the plot, let's get to the review!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
When 22-year-old Olivia learned that her mother had only months to live, she pulled up roots, leaving Vassar and her career plans far behind to be with her mother for her last days. And yet, just four months after her mother’s death, everyone in Olivia’s family already seems ready to move on. Her brothers are settled comfortably in careers and families of their own; her father has already started to date again, inviting a woman named June on a family trip. Still reeling from the loss, Olivia looks for a new start of her own, throwing herself headlong into Manhattan’s fast-moving media world, where she is alternately demeaned by bosses and pursued by men.

But as Olivia tries to piece together an adulthood without her mother to guide her, she makes a shocking discovery: a secret romantic correspondence her mother had with a man who only signed each letter “F.” As she tries to untangle the mystery of F, Olivia will journey halfway across the world, to an ashram in rural India, on a quest that will reconfigure everything Olivia thought she knew about her family and her own place in an increasingly complex world. 

The story begins with Olivia and her family going on a trip to India. Her mother died months earlier and had been planning on going on this trip with her daughter, so the family decided to take it together as a way to get some closure. The only problem: Olivia's father decides to bring his new lady friend, June, with them, making the whole trip completely uncomfortable. After the less-than-stellar trip, everyone seems to go back to their everyday lives. Except for Olivia who can't stop thinking about her mother and what her life will be like without her.

Olivia gets a job with a media company, Likely Productions, through her brother. She is pretty much a paid intern who gets coffee, makes food for meetings, and learns a few things about cutting film together. One day, Olivia walks into a meeting at and meets Michel. He's French and a client of Likely's. He takes her for drinks and then back to his place where she propositions him for money to sleep with her (this is the second time she's done this), but he laughs at her and they end up in a sort-of relationship (more sex than anything else). She takes him back to her family home for Thanksgiving and well, let's just say things don't really go as Olivia planned. She stays with him for a little while longer and then decides she needs to end it.

This is around the same time she is going through her mother's office and finds a few letters from an "F" that she's never heard of before. They seem to be love letters and once Olivia finds them, she can't get them out of her head. She goes to her mother's old yoga teacher, looks through her old phone, and tracks down whoever she can to try and find out who the hell F is. Eventually, the yoga teacher comes through. She has the email for a man named Franco who used to go to the same yoga studio. At first, Olivia doesn't take it, but once she loses her job at Likely (due to Michel being an asshole), she gets the info and finds out he's at a yoga retreat in India (because of course he is lol).

On her mission to find out exactly who her mother was, Olivia travels back to India and ends up finding out much more than she bargained for about her mother and about herself. NO SPOILERS!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At first, I thought Olivia was going to be another shallow, selfish, privileged character, but, while she is privileged and can be selfish at times, those traits do not make up the whole of her personality. She is smart, a little naive, complicated, and definitely interesting enough to follow on this journey. She makes bad choices (and some good ones), especially in terms of her family and her personal life, and pays the price for most of them. She doesn't get away with much. She has to deal with things she probably never thought she'd have to and she does so strongly and much better than I probably would.  Alternative Remedies for Loss is written beautifully. I have read characters like Olivia before but she surprised me multiple times. Joanna Cantor did a wonderful job writing this complicated, beautiful, and emotional story.

One thing I wished was addressed a little bit more throughout the story is money. Not many 22-year-olds would be able to afford to go on a trip to India on a whim or have their parents be able to buy a New York City apartment when someone got sick. Olivia and/or her family are able to afford a lot of things that most people couldn't and I wish it was not as glossed over as much as it is. I am also a little iffy about the white girl going to India to find answers scenario. The people of India are never really focused on or interacted with in any substantial way. There is a scene where Olivia gives a child some money because they look pretty poor. She is then followed by a bunch of other kids who are also looking for money now that they know she is willing to give it out. This was one of the few interactions Olivia has with the people of India. Considering this book is so focused on India and almost half of it takes place there, there should have been WAY more representation of the people. I originally thought Olivia was Indian until it was stated otherwise because the white-person-going-to-a-foreign-country trope can be so problematic. While there are definitely some great moments in this book (I really did enjoy it), these two points definitely detracted from the story overall.

Alternative Remedies for Loss made me laugh, cry, and even cheer during certain parts of the book. I am giving it 4 out of  5 stars.

Alternative Remedies for Loss by Joanna Cantor came out May 8, 2018.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.