A HEART-WRENCHING MEMOIR OF A MOTHER’S DESCENT INTO ILLNESS One of the most acclaimed works of the year Washington Post Expert Pick for Best Memoir of 1999 In the summer of 1983, Annie Ernaux’s mother fell ill. She had stopped eating and drinking for several days and could no longer take care of herself. Annie’s hopes that taking her mother into her home would improve her health, and return her to the dynamic and independent woman she once was, were sadly dashed when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Available in paperback for the first time, this collection of relentlessly honest journal entries traces the descent of Ernaux’s mother into the depths of the disease and reveals the author’s own complex feelings of guilt and responsibility. Profoundly self-revealing, this work provides readers with empathy and insight into their own questions of loss and grieving.