Book reviews: How it ends by Laura Wiess

“Get you head out of a book, Hanna. You don’t live in a novel.”

Living at a farm house at the countryside (I supposed), deer hunting was a common practice at their neighborhood, especially to those who own their share of land over the forest. But Hanna and gran’s family kept their land as a sanctuary for the wild life and even provide foods for the does during winter to keep them at their land and not fall into prey to the hunter during the opening season.

When she was little, Hanna was left at her neighbor’s house when her parents had a conflict, and that was the time that she grow attached to the Schoenmakers couple, the one that she addressed as gran and grandpa in the story. And even when her parents get back together, she still went for routine visits over the Schoenmakers place.

To protect the bright and small Hanna from the trouble of the world, gran told her a lot of story that ends with happy ending. The story that Hanna loves the most was about how gran and grandpa first met and it was a love at first sight. It was like a fairy tale and to make small Hanna happy, gran make up a lot of lies without intending to do so. But, the truth remain sealed until later..

As Hanna grows up, she ceased down her visit to the Schoenmakers’ place and falls into the usual flow of a teenager life. She had a crush and after years of chasing after the same boy, she had her chance when her crush finally turn to her and ask her to be his girl. But, their love life doesn’t goes as what she imagined it will be. The boy was not loyal to her and it was a hurtful relationship, but believing in fairy tales and happy ending, she endures it.

As life goes, the Schoenmakers grew older. Gran was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and grandpa has heart problem. Gran need to be put on a wheel chair and was unable to move. Later, she even has difficulty to talk and can only communicate by eye movement.  

Being caught on not doing her mandatory community service on time, Hanna made a proposal to her counselor to serve her time at the Schoenmakers home and it was approved. She looks after gran afterschool when grandpa goes to work and help around with the housework.  When gran was well, she was a member of 5 book clubs and she had a collection of novels at her house. Back then, Hanna used to borrow books from her and they will discuss about it after Hanna finished it all. But, after having the disease, unable to read as she normally does, gran turned to audiobook instead of the normal hard print books.  Hanna turns the radio on for her every day, and on one of the occasion, she was drawn to the audiobook as well.

Throughout the visit, they’ve been listening to an audiobook entitled ‘How it ends’, which was a life story of an orphan. Turned out, the story was the real life story of gran and grandpa at which was totally different from what Hanna had been told before. Affected by her past, gran was not fond of the hospital (Doctor) and she made an agreement with grandpa to end their life when her last batch of medication finished.

Grandpa shot gran and he on the first day of the opening season after gran’s medication finished. Hearing the shotgun’s sound, Hanna immediately knows something was not right and ran to the Schoenmakers’ home. But she was late and both gran and grandpa was dead. She found the audiobook on the porch with a stick-on-it note saying: Hanna, this is how, and why.

Hanna was the only one that heard of the audiobook and understands the real reason behind the couple’s suicide.

The incident affected Hanna and she finally broke up with her boyfriend and chose to be together with another man that deserves her better.

“I pray you will realize that a happy ending is not the same as happily ever after and that fairy tales are fiction, but love, true love is trustworthy, steadfast, and reliable, is not”
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How it ends was a great book revolving around Hanna and gran's life, and it was told by both person point of view. I love how Hanna's life and thought was well describe in the story. And as for gran or grandma Helen, I never expect her life to be that tragic. Her life as told in the audio book was totally different from what I thought she was earlier in the story.
Whenever Hanna turn on the audiobook, I was so horrified with some of the story that I wish Hanna will faster finished the chapter that they were listening to and go to her part of the story. But, afterward, I also anticipate the sequel of the audio book as much as Hanna do after finishing each chapter.
Although this was a great story,  I feel that the part where gran and grandpa ends their life was a little disturbing. The description was too vivid for me and I didn't expect them to end their life that way. @.@