One True Thing

"At the end she was both child and mother, both teacher and student, both strength and supplicant."

Anna Quindlin, One True Thing

When I decide on a book to read, I am often influenced by my mood. Perhaps I'm in the mood to laugh out loud, or work on a puzzling mystery, or to have chills run down my spine. But sometimes I just want a book to create a visceral response- joy, anger, sadness- a genuine feeling of connection.

One True Thing by Anna Quindlin is an intimate and emotional story of a daughter who becomes the caregiver for her dying mother. At her father's insistence, 24 year old Ellen leaves her career and moves home because her mother has been diagnosed with cancer. Unsure in her nursing abilities and never comfortable dealing with feelings, the close proximity and shortness of time force Ellen into really seeing her mother's life, understanding it. And as her mother becomes sicker, and in pain, Ellen is forced to make the decision- does her mother have the right to die? Although the book may be difficult to read because of it's intense emotions, it is beautifully written and amazingly insightful.