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A review by kezia
This Really Isn't About You by Jean Hannah Edelstein
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A truthful working through of loss and grief, for a father but also for oneself. I found so many moments in this touching little book to connect deeply with, especially the idea that the death of someone so significant as a father absolutely changes and redefines the path of your life. In Jean’s case, that’s in a specific, medical sense through her new diagnosis of Lynch syndrome, but also through the more broad effects of moving homes, reflecting on personal history and transformed familial relationships.
One of my favourite, tiny quotes is when Jean utters a “Dad-like” phrase:
“It was a joke Dad would have made, if he had been there. But if he was there, if he was still alive, we’d be somewhere else.” Pg. 256
Through death we learn to access new parts of ourselves, we take on new roles (to fill the gaps left by the dead) and connect in new ways to the people around us. We often end up finding ways to keep that lost person near and active in our collective lives but, inevitably, the mere act of stepping into that new role marks the unavoidable truth that that loved one is not, will never more be, with us themselves.
Thank you Jean x
One of my favourite, tiny quotes is when Jean utters a “Dad-like” phrase:
“It was a joke Dad would have made, if he had been there. But if he was there, if he was still alive, we’d be somewhere else.” Pg. 256
Through death we learn to access new parts of ourselves, we take on new roles (to fill the gaps left by the dead) and connect in new ways to the people around us. We often end up finding ways to keep that lost person near and active in our collective lives but, inevitably, the mere act of stepping into that new role marks the unavoidable truth that that loved one is not, will never more be, with us themselves.
Thank you Jean x