By Amy Bloom
Trigger Warnings: Suicide and Alzheimer’s
Memoir
Released 2022
Memoir
Released 2022
Synopsis:
Amy Bloom began to notice changes in her husband, Brian: He retired early from a new job he loved; he withdrew from close friendships; he talked mostly about the past. Suddenly, it seemed there was a glass wall between them, and their long walks and talks stopped. Their world was altered forever when an MRI confirmed what they could no longer ignore: Brian had Alzheimer’s disease.
Forced to confront the truth of the diagnosis and its impact on the future he had envisioned, Brian was determined to die on his feet, not live on his knees. Supporting each other in their last journey together, Brian and Amy made the unimaginably difficult and painful decision to go to Dignitas, an organization based in Switzerland that empowers a person to end their own life with dignity and peace.
In this heartbreaking and surprising memoir, Bloom sheds light on a part of life we so often shy away from discussing–its ending. Written in Bloom’s captivating, insightful voice and with her trademark wit and candor, In Love is an unforgettable portrait of a beautiful marriage, and a boundary-defying love.
My Thoughts:
Well this was certainly heavy, but wow did I learn a lot. This memoir made me do some serious thinking. As I read it, I’d start discussing it with my husband. “What if we were in this situation?!?” “Could I cope with this if I was in her shoes?” It really made me do some really heavy thinking.
This is a beautiful story that is also heartbreaking. Learning more about someone suffering from Alzheimer’s and what that looks like from a spouse’s point of view was very educational. There were aspects of it that I never would have even though about.
I think whether you agree with Brian’s decision to end his life (with the help of the organization Dignitas in Switzerland) or not, there is something to learn about their experience and the process and difficulties that they experienced.
Amy Bloom began to notice changes in her husband, Brian: He retired early from a new job he loved; he withdrew from close friendships; he talked mostly about the past. Suddenly, it seemed there was a glass wall between them, and their long walks and talks stopped. Their world was altered forever when an MRI confirmed what they could no longer ignore: Brian had Alzheimer’s disease.
Forced to confront the truth of the diagnosis and its impact on the future he had envisioned, Brian was determined to die on his feet, not live on his knees. Supporting each other in their last journey together, Brian and Amy made the unimaginably difficult and painful decision to go to Dignitas, an organization based in Switzerland that empowers a person to end their own life with dignity and peace.
In this heartbreaking and surprising memoir, Bloom sheds light on a part of life we so often shy away from discussing–its ending. Written in Bloom’s captivating, insightful voice and with her trademark wit and candor, In Love is an unforgettable portrait of a beautiful marriage, and a boundary-defying love.
My Thoughts:
Well this was certainly heavy, but wow did I learn a lot. This memoir made me do some serious thinking. As I read it, I’d start discussing it with my husband. “What if we were in this situation?!?” “Could I cope with this if I was in her shoes?” It really made me do some really heavy thinking.
This is a beautiful story that is also heartbreaking. Learning more about someone suffering from Alzheimer’s and what that looks like from a spouse’s point of view was very educational. There were aspects of it that I never would have even though about.
I think whether you agree with Brian’s decision to end his life (with the help of the organization Dignitas in Switzerland) or not, there is something to learn about their experience and the process and difficulties that they experienced.
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