The Art of Reassembly: A Memoir of Early Mother Loss and Aftergrief

Description

If your mom is dead, is she still your mom? At twenty-five-nearly two decades after losing her mother to breast cancer as a little girl-an accident on a downtown street unleashes startling emotional reactions in Peg Conway, and this question starts to percolate. She comes to understand what she's experiencing as long-buried childhood grief, and as she marries and becomes a mother herself, Peg's intense feelings challenge her to offer herself compassion. Gradually she confronts how growing up surrounded by silence in a family that moved on from sorrow had caused her to suppress her mother's memory for far too long. Ultimately, after excavating all the layers, Peg finds her mom again, and in the process discovers that truth, no matter how painful, heals.

Peg Conway earned a master's in journalism and worked in corporate communication before focusing on raising her family. Now she writes and practices energy healing in Cincinnati, OH, where she also volunteers at a children's grief center. Her essays about early mother loss and long-term grieving have appeared at The Manifest-Station, the Cincinnati Enquirer, and The Mighty. Peg and her husband have three grown children and one grandchild. She lives in Cincinnati, OH.

2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner in Parenting/Family (Non-Fiction) 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Memoirs (Overcoming Adversity/Tragedy) "A brave and beautifully written memoir that shows anyone who lost a parent as a child how to move forward, even decades later. By sharing her moving search for healing and answers, Peg Conway gives the reader the best gift of all: wisdom." -Michael Hainey, New York Times best-selling author of After Visiting Friends "Motherless daughters acquire a very specific wisdom at an early age, and Peg Conway knows this well. The Art of Reassembly is her poignant exploration of how the early loss of her mom reverberated throughout her life. In this beautifully crafted memoir, Conway takes readers on her journey of reconnection as we watch her 'graft myself back to that original branch.' She speaks for so many of us on these pages." -Hope Edelman, New York Times best-selling author of Motherless Daughters "Peg Conway has written a memoir sure to resonate with those who experienced the death of a parent as a child. We are taken along on her adult journey as the 'Inner Lost Girl' confronts the grief of losing her mother at the age of seven. Many will recognize themselves as the 'Responsible Girl' and relate to the painful secondary losses that a death sets in motion. Peg brings to life the challenges and needs of grieving children and helps create much-needed awareness by sharing her own story so bravely." -Vicky Ott, MA, LPCC-S; executive director of Fernside: A Center for Grieving Children "The Art of Reassembly teaches readers how to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of grief and have self-compassion along the way. If you have yearned to be seen and understood while in the depths of loss, read this beautifully written memoir, and you will feel lonely no longer." -Nadine Kenney Johnstone, author of Of This Much I'm Sure and host of the Heart of the Storypodcast "From the opening paragraph, these pages hold readers in a gentle but firm grip. Peg Conway brings a striking blend of keen self-knowledge, profound empathy, and detective-like determination to her quest to piece together a more complete story of the reaches of unacknowledged grief. With unwavering honesty, Conway is unafraid to reveal her own humanness and how the 'happy ending' she grew up believing impacted her own development into adulthood. Deftly written and deeply insightful, this book invites readers on a journey of discovery and the healing power of self-compassion and truth. A stunning memoir." -Jena Schwartz, writing coach and author of Why I Was Late for Our Meeting