This is a really nice book. I can’t fault the writer at all. However, I have to say it was gut wrenching for me. Schwalbe and his mother had a very special bond. Hell, from what I grasp, she had a special bond with everyone she knew. She seemed like she was a truly amazing person.
The part that was really hard for me was the dedication Schwalbe had for his mum. No, it wasn’t a bad thing. It was an amazing thing. When my father died, I can’t lie, I was, perhaps more devastated by my lack of involvement in his final days. That is so very hard to write. To admit to. Sure, I can blame circumstances. Being in a different country, blah blah blah, but that doesn’t ease the guilt one feels. Then to read a book where Schwalbe went to such great lengths….well it was very hard. Yes, he was lucky. His mum was lucky. We can all say, well, he had a job that allowed him to be by his mother’s side so often. That’s all. He could afford to spend 5 hours a day with her when she was having treatments. He could call her a dozen times a day. Reality is more simple than that though. He made it happen. Amazing sacrifices he made to make sure his mother was surrounded by love in her final years…
I’m jealous of his dedication. Of his courage. His sacrifice. Of those hours, days, weeks, months, and years he had with his mum at the end. Reading this book made my gut clinch with my own guilt…I miss my dad…I wish I had been the kind of daughter to him that was like the son Schwalbe was to his mum…I wish I had that opportunity…
There’s nothing else to say really…
Until next time…
Urania xx
Buy it now End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
Random Book Muses 
That’s a brave admission:). But bear in mind it’s a two-way street – there’s a high chance that your father may not have wanted your constant presence. Having someone there puts demands on the patient, too. You have to be far more stoic, upbeat and brave when your loved one is by your bedside. Relationships with our parents are wrought over a lifetime and much of it is unspoken. It may be your father would have loved to have had your company to such an extent at the end – but it is just as likely that it was a relief for him just to concentrate on himself. And you instinctively knew it…
Thank you very much for your very kind and thoughtful words. You’ve given me a lot to think about…it really does mean so much to me…
Best…
Urania xx