There Are No Rules for This: A Novel

Feeney Simms, a beautiful, charismatic, mother of two, wife to a handsome, successful husband, and beloved by her friends, commits suicide by swallowing a handful of pills on a summer night. Her closest friends, Ali, Max, and Liddy, are left reeling and decide to hold their own funerals while they are still alive, which changes them in ways they couldn't have imagined.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 16 May 2023
Publisher: She Writes Press

People like Feeney Simms do not commit suicide. Beautiful, charismatic, mother of two, wife to a handsome, successful husband, beloved by her friends—this is not the typical picture of a tortured soul. But one summer night, Feeney drives to the beach and swallows a handful of pills. No note, no explanation, nothing. Like that, she's gone.

Faced with this loss, Ali, Max, and Liddy, Feeney's closest friends, are left reeling, grappling with the devastating cocktail of grief, guilt, and anger that's left in the wake of a suicide. In a desperate attempt to avoid further loss, the three women make the unorthodox (and very Feeney-like) decision to hold their own funerals while they are still alive—and the experience changes each of them in ways they couldn't have imagined.

Feeney Simms was a woman who seemed to have it all. She was beautiful, charismatic, and had a loving family. But behind closed doors, she was struggling with a dark secret. She had been diagnosed with depression and had been taking medication to manage her symptoms. However, one summer night, she drove to the beach and swallowed a handful of pills. There was no note, no explanation, nothing. Like that, she was gone.

Ali, Max, and Liddy, Feeney's closest friends, were left devastated by her death. They couldn't understand why someone who had so much to live for would take her own life. They were angry and confused, and they felt like they had lost a part of themselves. In a desperate attempt to avoid further loss, they decided to hold their own funerals while they were still alive.

The idea was unorthodox and unconventional, but it was something that Feeney would have done. She was always the one who had to plan everything, and she wanted to have control over her own funeral. The three women spent weeks planning the details of their funerals. They chose the songs that would be played, the flowers that would be arranged, and the readings that would be read. They even hired a photographer to capture the memories of their friend.

The day of the funerals arrived, and the three women were dressed in their best clothes and surrounded by their loved ones. They each had a small ceremony, with friends and family sharing memories and stories about Feeney. It was a beautiful day, but it was also a sad day. The three women knew that they were losing their friend, but they also knew that they were honoring her memory in a way that she would have wanted.

As the days passed, the three women began to realize that holding their own funerals had changed them in ways that they couldn't have imagined. They had been forced to confront their own mortality and to think about the impact that their lives had on others. They had also been forced to confront the pain and sadness that Feeney had been carrying with her for so long.

In the end, the three women emerged from their experience stronger and more connected than ever before. They had learned that life is precious and that it's important to cherish the moments that we have with our loved ones. They had also learned that it's okay to ask for help and to seek support when we're struggling.

Feeney Simms's suicide was a tragedy, but it also served as a reminder to the three women that life is unpredictable and that we should never take our loved ones for granted. They will always remember their friend and the impact that she had on their lives, and they will continue to honor her memory in the ways that she would have wanted.

Weight: 326g
Dimension: 139 x 216 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781647424855