I cannot thank the team at Fairlight enough for sending me a copy of Before the Leaves Fall by Clare O’Dea and again, find myself apologising that it has taken me a while to read and review after a tricky personal time. It is my pleasure to share my review of Before the Leaves Fall today.
Published by Fairlight Books on 23rd October 2025, Before the Leaves Fall is available for purchase here.
Before the Leaves Fall
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.
My Review of Before the Leaves Fall
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.
About Clare O’Dea
Clare O’Dea is the author of four books, including Voting Day, a Fairlight Moderns novella published in 2022. In May 2024, Clare O’Dea published All About Switzerland, a selection of 29 articles first published in The Local Switzerland.
Originally from Dublin, Clare O’Dea has lived in Switzerland since 2003. She had a varied media career in Ireland, with a freelance stint in Russia. Clare worked for The Irish Times, the Irish state broadcaster (RTÉ) and the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Her first non-fiction book, The Naked Swiss: A Nation Behind 10 Myths, was published in 2016 by Bergli Books. A second updated edition followed in 2018. Clare turned to Ireland as a subject for her second book, The Naked Irish: Portrait of a Nation Beyond the Clichés (Red Stag Books, 2019).
For further information, visit Clare’s website, follow Clare on X @ClareODeaZ and find her on Instagram and Facebook.
