My mother’s spouse has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. It was unexpected and sudden, and she understandably struggles with the situation. She finds it tough to talk about, and asked me if there would be any books that would give her strength to support her spouse, give her hope (of life continuing) and/or help accepting the situation.
Can be any genre – factual, spiritual, even a feel-good just lightly touching the theme or a cozy crime novel where the heroine is widowed or facing similar fate.
All your suggestions are much appreciated ❤️
by Alien_Kaiman-0629
7 Comments
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
*Two-Part Invention* by Madeleine L’Engle is a memoir of her 40-year marriage and her husband’s slow decline and death from cancer. It’s beautifully written, spiritual without being at all simplistic, and deeply felt. Sounds like a good fit from your request.
Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro, she will see herself in the story and the courage of the leading characters will give her the strenght that she needs. It’s by no means a happy story, but it’s about prevailing against adversity. “The travelling cat chronicles” by Hiro Arikawa is a love story about a terminally ill human and his cat, with a gorgeous ending. I would recomend these two.
Lois Lowry, *A Summer To Die*
Anything from Pema Chodron, but especially Comfortable with Uncertainty
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad. She writes about being given a cancer diagnosis at 22 with a very poor prognosis. She writes beautifully about the tragic events she endured and the hope she found with strangers along the way. This is in my top 5 memoirs.
I liked Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg, it’s very gentle. MC is a woman whose best friend has cancer and eventually passes, so it’s about supporting a terminally ill person but also about dealing with your own needs, grief, and confusion surrounding life and death. I read it while my father was dying and it was a soothing read.