‘Rabbit?’ Ma whispered.
‘Have to catch the van, Ma.’
‘Safe trip, Rabbit,’ Molly said.
Johnny leaned forward, with his arm outstretched, and Rabbit ran faster, reaching out as far as she could. He pulled her into the darkness and, in the midst of her final dying moments, she held on tight to the man she’d never let go.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Dr Ruth Fenton for taking time to talk me through hospice medicine and care. Thanks to my pal Dr Enda Barron, who is always on the end of the line to talk medicine, whether it’s for Rabbit or Holby City, and for lending me a computer when mine exploded. I’ll be forever indebted. Thank you to all my friends for your patience and support. Thanks to my family, especially the O’Sheas for taking me in when I needed the most care and the Floods for watching over Mom and being my home away from home. Thank you to my agents Sheila Crowley and Jessica Cooper at Curtis Brown – you’ve opened up a whole new world and I’m so grateful. Thank you to Harriet Bourton and everyone at Transworld for your enthusiasm for Rabbit and your tireless work to give her the best chance of life. (See what I did there.) Finally, for your stories, relentless optimism and witty repartee, thanks to my husband, Donal McPartlin, his mother and father, Terry and Don, his sisters, Ruth, Felicity and Rebecca, his brothers-in-law, Mick Lambert, Mick Creedon and Aidan Cornally, his best and oldest friends, Charlie and Jerry Bennett, and of course not forgetting Ken Brown.
Jimmy Tague, RIP.
Questions for the Reader
Anna McPartlin says she finds humour and humanity in even the darkest situations – do you agree that human kindness and joy will always shine through even the bleakest moments?
Rabbit is well cared for, and her family and the hospice strive to give her a ‘good death’, but even so she endures pain and indignity. What do you think this novel tells us about the treatment of the dying? Does everybody have the right to a ‘good death’?
Johnny does not want Rabbit to see him in his lowest moments, and she wasn’t there when he passed away. Was Rabbit ever able to let him go?
How did you think the structure of the novel affected your reading of it? Did you know that Johnny was going to die, or did this come as a shock?
For a long time, Juliet refuses to acknowledge that her mother is dying, and denial is something many of the characters experience. How do they each come to accept Rabbit’s death?
Molly puts her foot in it many times, but always makes Rabbit laugh. Is laughter the best medicine?
Juliet is with her mother until the end, and helps care for her when she is sick. What effect do you think being with a parent at such a harrowing time can have? Was it better for Juliet to be with Rabbit at the end?
Knowing she is going to die changes Rabbit’s outlook on life. What do you think she learns?
All the characters have different attitudes towards religion and the Catholic Church. Many people turn to religion in their darkest moments, but not Rabbit. Why do you think this is?
Do you think the family made the right decision in letting Davey look after Juliet?
How does Anna McPartlin represent the different time periods in this novel? Did you get a real sense of past and present?
Ma is a powerful figure in the novel. What other representations of motherhood are there?
Who do you think is the strongest character in this novel? Fierce, outspoken Molly, who has fought for her children all her life or quiet, kind Jack, who refuses to give up on the daughter he helped deliver?
About the Author
Anna McPartlin is a novelist and scriptwriter. The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is Anna’s sixth novel. Her previous incarnation as a stand-up comedian left an indelible mark. She describes herself as a slave to the joke and finds humour and humanity in even the darkest situations. Anna lives in Wicklow with her husband and animals.
Also by Anna McPartlin
Pack Up the Moon
The Truth Will Out
The One I Love
No Way To Say Goodbye
The Space Between Us
TRANSWORLD IRELAND
An imprint of The Random House Group Limited
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First published in 2014 by Transworld Ireland,
a division of Transworld Publishers
Copyright © Anna McPartlin 2014
Anna McPartlin has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781473508439
ISBN 9781848271937
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