Amy Bloom is a NYT bestselling author and psychotherapist who published her memoir “In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss” on March 8th, 2022. I have consumed this book as both an audiobook and as a physical book. While I find her writing to be powerful, beautiful, and easy to read – I prefer the audiobook. Even if you’re not an audiobook person, I still recommend the audiobook because it lands differently in your soul. Bloom narrates memoir which I feel adds a rich layer of emotion and authenticity that gives you a very different experience. Her memoir shares the beautiful, intimate details of her love story with her husband who is tragically diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Brian makes the painful but empowered decision to end his life with dignity and peace before he loses himself to a disease that will rob him of his mind. She details their experience from her perspective from diagnosis to traveling to Switzerland so Brian can use medical aid in dying with Dignitas.
Personally, the date this book was published has meaning to me. It was published March 8th, 2022. My husband Dustin had brain cancer and was enrolled into hospice care on March 4th, 2022. We celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary on March 7th, 2022. Dustin’s 38th birthday was on March 9th, 2022. He ultimately died on March 15th, 2022. While brain cancer is not the same as Alzheimer’s – it shares many similar symptoms. Both Alzheimer’s and brain cancer are a tragically painful experience for both the patient and those close to them. Over time, it robs a person of both their cognitive and their physical function. Sometimes slowly, sometimes more quickly. Both diseases always progress by methodically taking pieces of the person’s mind until the only thing left is the shell of the person you once knew.
I first read this book on January 6th, 2023. I was still in my first year of trying to live my life without the love of my life. A dear friend of mine gifted me a copy which I decided to read again on January 7th, 2025. I am quickly approaching my third year without Dustin. I still find this to be an incredibly powerful book. It’s beautiful, raw, honest but so full of love and life. Perhaps this book lands differently for people who have been caregivers of loved ones with neurodegenerative diseases or other widows. Regardless of your personal beliefs about medical aid in dying, it is a beautifully written first hand experience.
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Be sure to check with your local library if it is available to checkout! Available as ebook and audiobook Chicago Public Library with Libby!
More about Amy Bloom here
