A review by beebeewin
Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss by Margaret Renkl

emotional lighthearted sad fast-paced

4.25

I loved this books unflinching discussion and confrontation of death and grief. So many chapters hit me so hard, especially in the context of my stepfather dying. She talks of dreams where her mother is alive again and the sense of relief at thinking "oh they aren' t dead". I have had that dream. Crying and so happy to see Doug again just talking to my mom or making nachos in the kitchen. Margaret Renkl lovingly paints a portrait of her family and the loss  herself, her parents, her partner, and her children had to go through. This is all intermixed with the loss and death that are just a part of nature. She makes it all seem so normal even though it is still so painful. It is a novel that made me once again lament how separate we think we are from death and loss, when in fact those things are intermingled with us. Beautiful written and so painfully honest. I won't recommend this to someone right after a loss, but it definitely is good for later and to validate all the feelings you have when a loss happens. Good read, not my favorite,  but would definitely recommend and might read again.

Favorite quotes:

Pg. 207 "It occurred to me to wonder if she'd had ever, even once, loved anyone enough to fear the possibility of loss" 
Pg. 218 "Here is what no one told me about grief : you inhabit it like skin... Everything you see, you see through it, like a film." "What I mean is, you are the old, ungrieving you, and you are also the new, ruined you. You are both, and you always will be. There is nothing to fear."