A review by happiestwhenreading
Memorial Days: A Memoir by Geraldine Brooks

4.0

Is a sudden death worse than the one that creeps in slowly? Does the manner of death change the way a loved one left behind grieves? I would argue that grief is grief and there is no one way that makes it easier than another. Having said that, there may be differences in the immediate tasks related to the death, and Brooks really illuminates those challenges in her memoir, Memorial Days. 

Brooks, wife of author Tony Horowitz, got a call that her husband had collapsed on a sidewalk and died of a sudden heart attack. As she tried to deal with the logistics of her loss, on top of grieving, she had quite a few rude awakenings. She had to reapply for credit cards, renew her lapsed insurance policies, and deal with rude and abrupt medical personnel.

All of it was pretty horrifying and yet another reminder that our society/culture has a hard time talking about and dealing with death. I appreciated Brooks’ vulnerability and her magical way with words that related to anyone that’s lost a loved one. There was great love between her and her husband, and their relationship shined in her words. Brooks has a beautiful way with words, and if anything, I would have loved to read more about how she navigated her grief and the lessons she’s learned from the loss of her husband. I did envy her moving to a remote island to process the grief, as when I lost my mom, it would have been amazing to be able to escape reality for a bit and just lean into that loss.

I switched between the physical and audio copies of this book and found both to be equally great. Brooks narrates the audio and her accent and calming voice were soothing as she talked about her husband.