Kett's Books' volunteers are very excited to reveal that the One Community, One Book selection for 2023 is A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe. Set in October 1966, the book follows the journey of 19 year-old William Lavery, an apprentice embalmer. As the book opens he is attending his first black-tie event. But before the evening ends, news reaches the group of the devastating landslide at Aberfan. William immediately volunteers to help, making his first job as an embalmer a harrowing and life-changing experience. William takes home with him fears for the future as well as a fresh sense of what he's already lost in his short life - and has to work through both to find his way back to happiness.

Kett's Books runs the One Community, One Book project as a kind of town-wide book group featuring a single book, so everyone can join the conversation. A Terrible Kindness does start with a young man caught up in a tragedy, but is never grisly - it swiftly moves on to the rest of William's life, and tells how he works through the pain to find healing. We chose this book because so many of our readers will recall the tragedy, because it's a beautifully written and compelling story full of music, because much of it is set in Cambridge, and because it is, ultimately, hopeful.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we are enjoying sharing it - do come in and tell us what you think.