A review by clem
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews

5.0

This is the most convincing, compassionate exploration of suicide I have ever found. Elf is never presented as selfish for her many suicide attempts; instead, this novel asks us to confront whether it is cruel to force somebody to live, especially in a psychiatric facility in which their autonomy is completely undermined. Is life worth it when it can only be sustained under duress, locked up and denied simple pleasures like homemade food? Can every case of suicidal ideation be cured, or are there some untreatable cases? Is suicidal depression not a chronic, agonizing condition that can, sometimes, only be alleviated by death? Can assisted suicide in instances of severe psychic pain be the truly correct and compassionate option? These are difficult, scary questions, and Toews does not shy away from them. She constructs a set of beautiful, strong characters, an imperfect but ultimately fiercely loving family who must come together under impossible circumstances. I really don't know how she has managed to make a book so sad and so funny and so real. A must-read.