Hi everyone,
I’m looking for book recommendations that explore the complex, taboo emotions of a daughter who feels relief rather than purely grief when a parent they spent years caring for finally passes away.
My dad once told me about a powerful story (he thinks by a female African writer/artist) where a girl has to take care of her sick mother for many years. When the mother dies, everyone at the funeral is crying except for the girl, because she is finally free to live her own life and be herself.
I would love to read books that handle this specific dynamic: caregiver burnout, breaking societal expectations of grief, and the complicated path to freedom after a lifetime of sacrifice.
(Also, if anyone happens to recognize the exact African story/book my dad was talking about, please let me know!)
Thanks in advance!
by imdumblolkillme
2 Comments
Not exactly what you described, but you might like *The Renovation* by Kenan Orhan. The main character is caring for her father who is dealing with worsening memory loss. At one point she’s looking at a bunch of pamphlets in the hospital thinking that she wishes they had one called “Hurry Up and Die So I Can Begin Mourning You”.
I’m glad my mom died by Jennette McCurdy!