The Collected Regrets of Clover

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes frank discussions of death and prolonged grief, as well as brief discussions of alcohol addiction.

The narrator and protagonist Clover Brooks remembers when, as a five-year-old, she witnessed her kindergarten teacher, Mr. Hyland, suddenly die while reading Peter Rabbit to the class. Initially unsure if it was part of the storytelling, the children sat calmly beside him. After realizing what had actually happened, the children started screaming, aside from Clover. While the school suggested counseling for Clover, the narrator’s self-absorbed parents deemed her unaffected by the event. This experience left the young Clover reflecting on what Mr. Hyland’s final words might have been. The incident had a lasting impact on Clover, who, despite outwardly appearing fine, carries the memory of the event with her.

Clover works as a death doula and often reflects on the moments she has witnessed, such as the regret of an old client, Guillermo, who revealed that he had accidentally killed his sister’s hamster as a child. Back at home, Clover tends to her pets and a collection of notebooks filled with her clients’ final confessions. Clover is introverted and emotionally reserved, and her life is centered on helping strangers through their final moments.