Review: 3 Days: A Passion by T.M. Fairman

3 Days: A Passion

by T.M. Fairman

Within the aftermath of an epidemic that has been contained through sacrifice rather than cure, a young woman discovers she has contracted the Disease.

She has three days to live.

Society has deemed her irredeemable and requires her to pass her last three days in quarantine; a sacrifice for its own preservation. 

Her only link to the life she once had is her husband. Together they must try to battle with their demons. Together they must try to discover how their love can be expressed during separation and in the face of death. Together they must wrestle with the issues of love and loss, grief, depression and hope before finally having to say goodbye to each other.

My Take:

The telltale bright blue in the toilet gave the unmistakable and dreadful news - she had the disease. The worldwide pandemic that had decimated the population, that was incurable and terminal, and highly contagious. Her only course was to call the authorities, put herself into an isolation suit, and wait for pickup. To leave behind the man she loved immeasurably. Once you showed signs, you had three days to live.

He came home that afternoon, excited to spend his evening with her, the joy of his heart... only to discover the heartbreaking truth - that she was gone, self-quarantined to the Center for her remaining three days on earth. But he was determined she would not die alone.

Content:

Drug Content:

G - None.

Violence:

G - There is no violence whatsoever in this book, even the Disease simply causes the victim to succumb to sleep as they have less and less energy.

Language:

G - squeaky clean.

Adult Content:

G - While there is a great deal of passion between the husband and his wife, they are separated by miles, and can only talk via a tablet.   

Christian content:

The front cover is a cross, and the book is partially a parallel between Jesus and the Church, and His crucifixion. There are several scripture passages exposed in the book, and scripture is usually applied aptly. Death and the afterlife, dealing with grief, and loss, are bold-brush themes throughout.

The parallels however lost me a bit, as Christ was vilely treated, tortured, publicly executed in agony as a criminal, and bodily resurrected after three days. While the people infected were treated as criminals until quarantined, they were given every accommodation, and treated with every dignity, and their death yielded no pain at all. One of the characters had a solid grounded Christian faith, one had a character arc that indicated he was looking for answers. A bible was presented to one character, but it was never really read, even though they were facing death in a day. There didn't seem to be any conviction of sin or regret over past mistakes. Christ was presented, but His purpose in dying wasn't clearly defined. 

Final analysis:

This was an incredibly poignant story. The characters had an amazing love for one another, and the devastation they went through was raw and quite real. Many tears shed over the course of these three days, and several passages had me in tears myself. That having been said, the pacing was slow, and the action was almost lethargic. The author may have been reaching for that, as there's not a lot a person in a rapid convalescent debilitating disease can do. The settings were well-described, and the character depictions were spot-on. The stakes were high, and I was moved by the angst. But the pacing dragged and the allegory seemed to lose steam. Four Stars!

About the Author:

TM Fairman is something of an unexpected author. Currently residing in the South of England, the father of four studied Economics and Econometrics, leading on to a career teaching Mathematics and Economics in secondary schools. Although reading has always been a hobby, the inspiration to write came as a bit of a shock for him and those around him.


The main inspiration for his work comes from a Christian faith and the wide variety of people that being a teacher gives him the privilege of meeting. From a literary point of view, writers such as Dumas, Tolkien and Sterne feature highly on his bookshelf although he lays no claim to being anywhere near belonging on the same shelf!