Mother: A Memoir

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

An extraordinary portrait of family life, mother-son relationships and bereavement.

Before the exquisitely painful `loss of her marbles', Mrs Royle, a nurse by profession, is a marvellously no-nonsense character, an autodidact who reads widely and voraciously-from Trollope to Woolf, White to Winterson-swears at her fox-hunting neighbours, and instils in the young Nick a love of reading and wildlife that will form his character and his career. He captures the spirit of post-war parenting as well as of his mother whose dementia and death were triggered by the tragedy of losing her other son- Royle's younger brother-to cancer in his twenties. Touching, funny and philosophical, this beautifully written memoir is punctuated by Royle's characteristic observations of the natural world and literature, as well as reflections on the links between the maternal and memory itself. Suffused with warmth and longing, this is expert storytelling and a fascinating study of the habits we pass down as parents and imbibe as children.

'A moving and beautifully achieved memoir.' Hilary Mantel, author of the Booker Prize 2009 novel Wolf Hall

Reviews

'Mother: A Memoir is a tribute to all in life that is witty, modest and caring. In our present time of anxiety and global virus death tallies, this graceful memoir seems particularly pertinent. Touching, tender and moving.' Martin Chilton, Independent 5 star review. 'Royle's reflections of his family life are shot through with humour and pain. Alzheimer's takes his mother from him, but he focuses on all that she's given him.' Alzheimer's Society: Recommended Reading. 'It's a beautiful book and up there in my pantheon of great memoirs.' Laura Marcus, Goldsmiths Professor of English Literature, University of Oxford. 'The searching, melodic prose reaches out to philosophy to make sense of the feelings and true, true love lingers throughout.' Claire Looby, Irish Times. 'This is not a conventional chronological memoir instead offering snapshots as it tries to capture fleeting impressions of events, people, sights, sounds, smells etc. It is poetic, philosophical, a moving celebration of mother-child relations.' Brian Maye, Irish Times. 'Clearly, cleverly and beautifully told. Nicholas Royle... demonstrates... how skilful, honest and evocative writing can bring a person to life better than any film.' Anne Hill, Sussex Life. 'I really enjoyed this as it is a touching book about a normal family growing up in a time that seems to be in a different world to today's relentless pace of life.' Halfman, Halfbook. 'In a remarkable and moving memoir... (Royle) has captured and preserved a loving, kind, impatient woman and perhaps, with her, all of our mothers in the sweet predictability of their sayings and habits.' Spectator. 'Royle is a wonderful author. Poetic, personal, photographically intimate. The whole book is haunting, but it is not tragic... Superb personal read. Book clubs will have much to explore of family relationships and what they might leave behind to their own sons and daughters.' Philipa Coughlan, NB magazine. '...Mother is a very special book ... It will not only leave you understanding the deep emotional connections that the most seemingly inconsequential moments can mean to others, but [will] also give you a renewed passion to ensure you tell those closest to you how much you love them. Especially in these testing and emotional times.' Years of Reading Selfishly. '[Mother: A Memoir] succeeds in being something very special. It is brilliant.' The Worm Hole. 'Nick Royle's lyrical and affecting memoir is a triumph of clarity and perspective, and a fervent celebration of a life.' Mark Reynolds, Bookanista. '[Mother: A Memoir] probes the meaning of the parent-child bond as it chronicles the dementia-driven decline of Mrs Royle, ex-nurse, avid reader and cruciverbalist. It's a strikingly beautiful collage of the many moments that made a mother and son's "hearts knock together".' Hephzibah Anderson, The Observer. '[A] deeply reflective memoir.' Sheena Joughin, TLS. 'Mother: A Memoir takes an intimate and meaningful look at one woman, yet throws open thoughts to so, so much more. A rather lovely, incredibly thoughtful and moving memoir.' Liz Robinson, LoveReading. 'As much as this book is heartbreaking it is also heartwarming in equal measure ... The whole book itself is quite poetic but also an unflinching look at family life in the face of tragedy.' Bookish Chat. 'Riveting.' Gabriel Josipovici. 'I enjoy reading, profoundly. Mother: A memoir I loved so much that I didn't want it to end, even postponing reading the last ten pages, unable to accept that it would end. I have read lots of Nicholas Royle's books. He is a dazzling and breathtaking artist. When telling a friend, "I have the new book by Nick, it's so good I don't want to finish it," the friend reassured me, "you can read it a second time." And so I have.' Thomas Dutoit, Professor of English at the University of Lille. 'Mother is a warm and emotional memoir.' Word Child. 'Nicholas Royle captures the spirit of post-war parenting.' Deidre Falvey, The Irish Times. 'The complexity of family life comes through in the short chapters and recollections of changing scenes across many decades. Although there is obvious emotion, particularly in dealing with illness and death, much of the writing is framed as factual. And this is the books strength. The reader is left to form their own impressions. It matters not what they think of Kathleen. This is her story told from her surviving sons perspective. It would appear that, until the end, to him she was everything he needed her to be.' Never Imitate. 'Graceful, moving and thoughtful read.' Short Books and Scribes. '

Author Bio

Nicholas Royle is Professor of English at the University of Sussex, where he established the MA in Creative and Critical Writing in 2002. He is the author of two novels, both published by Myriad Quilt and An English Guide to Birdwatching and many other books, including studies of Elizabeth Bowen, Hlne Cixous, Jacques Derrida, E. M. Forster and Shakespeare. His books about literature and critical theory are widely influential and have won considerable acclaim. They include The Uncanny (2003), Veering: A Theory of Literature (2011), and An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory (fifth edition, 2016, with Andrew Bennett).