The Wet Wound: An Elegy in Essays

by Maddie Norris

This debut essay collection is inspired by the grief Maddie Norris experienced in the wake of her father's death from cancer when she was seventeen. Norris uses a medical lens to examine the anguish that followed and likens mourning to wound care.

These linked essays examine grief from different angles, resulting in a multilayered exploration of why, contrary to popular belief, keeping wounds open is the best way to care for them physically and emotionally. Norris approaches the narrative through various topics—the investigation of body preservation, the history of skin grafts, and a deep dive into physical pain—all of them related to how she carries this fundamental loss.

By centering on the importance of mourning (a long-term practice frowned upon in Western culture), the essays unsettle conventional wisdom as the text pushes against the stereotypical notion of "letting go" and "moving on." The Wet An Elegy in Essays thus unpacks the What happens when, instead of following steps prescribed by those outside loss, we let ourselves dwell in grief?

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 15, 2024

Reviews

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book for people who are okay with being sad and know what it’s like to sit in the inconvenience of their grief around others. This is a book for people who have lost and don’t want to move on as well as those who have lost and feel like they have to move on.

[Blair Hodges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maddie Norris performs open heart surgery on herself throughout this book of short essays on the death of her father. It's a moving and unflinching look at grief and loss. Anyone who has lost a parent, beloved or otherwise, will find thoughtful catharsis here, and if you haven't lost a parent this is a great place to learn what others might be going through. Highly recommended.

[Abraham Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth every word. Beautifully written. In the MFA program I was a part of, we often encouraged each other to “aim for the jugular.” Maddie Norris bleeds dry in this. Wow.

[Leyden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book on grief and dying. Made even better when you know the author.

[Susan Gentry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully written book on grief was just what I needed to face and learn how to live with my own grief.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

deeply felt, lots of grief here and poignancy here. it definitely reads like a 20-something processing a heavy loss - which is to say, exactly what it represents itself to be.