Here and Gone

Once sharp, now senile. His decline was gradual but felt quick—as though one day, he was kind, strong, and able-bodied; and the next, he was cruel, cachectic, and incontinent.

Here and Gone: Coming of Age As My Father Comes Undone is a candid telling of the unmaking of the author’s beloved father, who faded away before her eyes due to a neurological condition that, initially, no one could seem to name.

This memoir explores the marked impact an illness can have on the mental health of the sufferer’s loved ones. The author was seventeen, an only child, and knew no one her age who was living a similar experience. While navigating ambiguous loss during her young adulthood certainly led to the unraveling of her own fragile self-esteem, ultimately, it helped turn something painful into something purposeful.

For anyone who’s struggled with a parent’s chronic illness, especially the thousands of young people riding this roller coaster, Here and Gone welcomes readers to embrace their true feelings—not just those they believe they are supposed to have.