Mothercare: On Obligation, Love, Death, and Ambivalence (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781593767174)

"Masterfully-wrought . . . [A] stunning story of caregiving, with its questions of obligation and ethics and what it means to care for someone who, perhaps, didn't care for you." --The Boston Globe

From the brilliantly original novelist and cultural critic Lynne Tillman comes MOTHERCARE, an honest and beautifully written account of a sudden, drastically changed relationship to one's mother, and of the time and labor spent navigating the American healthcare system.

When a mother's unusual health condition, normal pressure hydrocephalus, renders her entirely dependent on you, your sisters, caregivers, and companions, the unthinkable becomes daily life. In MOTHERCARE, Tillman describes doing what seems impossible: handling her mother as if she were a child and coping with a longtime ambivalence toward her.

In Tillman's celebrated style and as a "rich noticer of strange things" (Colm Tb匤), she describes, without flinching, the unexpected, heartbreaking, and anxious eleven years of caring for a sick parent.

MOTHERCARE is both a cautionary tale and sympathetic guidance for anyone who suddenly becomes a caregiver. This story may be helpful, informative, consoling, or upsetting, but it never fails to underscore how impossible it is to get the job done completely right.

Author: Lynne Tillman
ISBN-10: 159376717X
ISBN-13: 9781593767174
Publisher: Soft Skull
Language: English
Published: 08/02/2022
Pages: 176
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 8.51h x 5.81w x 0.72d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 03/01/2022 pg. 25
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2022
Publishers Weekly 06/06/2022
Booklist 07/29/2022