An Extra Pair of Hands: A story of caring and everyday acts of love

Description

A deeply moving story of what it means to care for those we love, a celebration of older people and ageing, and of finding joy in the smallest acts of everyday caregiving As our population ages, more and more of us find ourselves caring for parents and loved ones - some 8.8 million people in the UK. An invisible army of carers holding families together. Here, Kate Mosse tells her own personal story of finding herself a carer in middle age: first, helping her heroic mother care for her beloved father through Parkinson's, then supporting her mother in widowhood, and finally as 'an extra pair of hands' for her 90-year-old mother-in-law. This is a story about the gentle heroism of our carers, about small everyday acts of tenderness, and finding joy in times of crisis. It's about juggling priorities, mind-numbing repetition, about guilt and powerlessness, about grief, and the solace of nature when we're exhausted or at a loss. It is also about celebrating older people, about learning to live differently - and think differently about ageing. But most of all, it's a story about love.

Kate Mosse is an international bestselling novelist, playwright and nonfiction author with sales of more than eight million copies in 38 languages. Renowned for bringing unheard and under-heard histories to life, she is a champion of women's creativity. Kate is the Founder Director of the Women's Prize for Fiction, sits on the Executive Committee of Women of the World and is a Visiting Professor of Contemporary Fiction and Creative Writing at the University of Chichester. Kate lives in West Sussex with her husband and mother-in-law. @katemosse

A beautiful, profoundly moving book about society's most vital glue - care -- Rachel Clarke A must read -- Penny Wincer Essential reading -- Madeleine Bunting An incisive, profoundly humane blend of the personal and the political -- Gwendolyn Smith * The i * A brilliant read that celebrates both the fragility and resilience of human existence... ultimately uplifting, inspiring, a tribute to love -- Elif Shafak * Guardian Summer Books * I read it in one sitting, and will be pressing into the hands of everyone I know. A celebration of ageing, womanhood and what love really means -- Christie Watson Moving ... heartfelt ... questions how and why we fetishise independence when the reality of human experience is always interdependence. Here is a book that sees, in this, a cause for celebration -- Book of the Day * Guardian * Heartfelt, funny and at times heartbreaking ... Anyone who has ever cared for an older relative, in whatever capacity, will relate to it. Keep the tissues handy. 10/10 * Independent * A beautiful, emotional and timely read -- Matt Haig A beacon of light: full of candour, sorrow, joy, hard-won wisdom, and luminous with love -- Nicci Gerrard This is a truly beautiful book, shot through with honesty, heartbreak and joy. I loved it -- Adam Kay Her timely story is compassionate and humane, judiciously blending the personal with the political; as she eloquently argues, "care is a feminist issue" * Observer * A meditation on caring and ageing that lifts the spirits without pulling punches -- Ian Rankin Told with wit, honesty and irresistible warmth. It celebrates both those who care, and those who grieve, as well as those who are cared for ... Books like this are like being held by the hand -- Rachel Joyce Honest, moving ... this book will be a huge help to both carers and the cared-for -- Deborah Moggach The power of this extraordinary memoir lies in Mosse's unsparing account of the personal costs of care-giving - and its deep and poignant joys ... the moments of humour, connection and triumph and the recognition that the relationship between carer and recipient is not one-sided but multifaceted, mutual and shot through with love -- Catherine Meyer Wonderful ... I was in tears, but the reading experience is ultimately uplifting and hopeful -- Cathy Rentzenbrink A wise and kindly book, all the wiser for its honesty ... a heartfelt reminder of why people become carers -- Kate Saunders * Times * A moving, delicate portrait of her own time as a carer for her parents, including her Parkinson's-ravaged father ... Mosse captures the experience, and the sense of powerlessness and heartbreak, with skill and tender precision -- Book of the Month, Martin Chilton * Independent * An uplifting reflection on the fragility of life, an ode to the invisible army of carers holding families together * Reaction * Mosse writes movingly about returning the caring favour and the end that waits for us all -- 50 Best Summer Books * The Times * Timely and important * The Oldie *