Three years after the death of her husband, Tony Horwitz, author Geraldine Brooks retreated to a remote island off the coast of Australia to write and to grieve.
“I have come to realize that my life since Tony’s death has been one endless, exhausting performance. I have cast myself in a role: woman being normal,” Brooks writes in her memoir, Memorial Days. “But nothing is normal. Here, finally, the long-running show goes on hiatus.”
Horwitz died unexpectedly in May of 2019 — on Memorial Day, it turns out — while on tour promoting his new book. He was only 60. He and Brooks had been partners for more than three decades and were just starting to enjoy their empty-nest life together after raising two boys. His death shocked everyone who knew him, but especially Brooks.
In the memoir, she recounts the hours and days following his death, sharing stories of callous medical workers and absurd legal requirements that made the experience even more awful. Brooks also shares moments of grace that helped her weather her grief until she felt ready to confront it head-on, during her self-imposed quarantine on Flinders Island.
The sparse memoir explores some of the cultural and religious traditions around death, and how certain rituals can help survivors along their journey toward peace. It ends up being a book about relishing life as much as it is about navigating death.
With Brooks’ beautiful writing and flawless storytelling, Memorial Days has earned its place on the memoir shelf alongside classics like The Year of Magical Thinking and When Breath Becomes Air. A heartbreaking and exquisite story.
