The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

[frankie]

I came upon The End of Your Life Book Club by chance at the library. The title caught my eye, obviously. It turned out that it is non-fiction, not a novel. I thought some of you might find this interesting. Here is the synopsis on Amazon: 

 

“What are you reading?”

That’s the question Will Schwalbe asks his mother, Mary Anne, as they sit in the waiting room of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. In 2007, Mary Anne returned from a humanitarian trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan suffering from what her doctors believed was a rare type of hepatitis. Months later she was diagnosed with a form of advanced pancreatic cancer, which is almost always fatal, often in six months or less. 

This is the inspiring true story of a son and his mother, who start a “book club” that brings them together as her life comes to a close. Over the next two years, Will and Mary Anne carry on conversations that are both wide-ranging and deeply personal, prompted by an eclectic array of books and a shared passion for reading. Their list jumps from classic to popular, from poetry to mysteries, from fantastic to spiritual. The issues they discuss include questions of faith and courage as well as everyday topics such as expressing gratitude and learning to listen. Throughout, they are constantly reminded of the power of books to comfort us, astonish us, teach us, and tell us what we need to do with our lives and in the world. Reading isn’t the opposite of doing; it’s the opposite of dying. 

Will and Mary Anne share their hopes and concerns with each other—and rediscover their lives—through their favorite books. When they read, they aren’t a sick person and a well person, but a mother and a son taking a journey together. The result is a profoundly moving tale of loss that is also a joyful, and often humorous, celebration of life: Will’s love letter to his mother, and theirs to the printed page. 

 

 

I haven't read it myself, but I've added it to my wishlist. 

[Athena]

This sounds intruiging, if / when you read it I'd love to know what you thought of it .

[bobblybear]

I bought this last year but have yet to read it. It's one of the first books I see when I turn on my Kindle, so I think I looked at it recently but didn't actually start it. I didn't know it was non-fiction though. I mean, I knew what it was about but I thought it was written as a novel.

[frankie]

I wasn't actually 100% sure now that you said you thought it was a novel so I did some googling. It says on the book's website (since when do books have websites Isn't it enough authors have their own websites?) that it's a memoir.