elfangor 's review for:

Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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Reading about managing life after death can be difficult for me, especially when the writing is poetic, frank, and radically accepting. Li's book is unflinching and honest, especially when acknowledging the confusion that comes after death. Reading Things In Nature Merely Grow felt like seeing my reflection in the mirror at times. I've never had a child, let alone have one die, and I won't dishonor the author by comparing my losses to her own. However, I relate to her deeply on the levels of her childhood experiences, her suicide attempts, her mental health journey, and how my own recovery often feels insufficient when it cannot save others.