The Snag: A Mother, A Forest, and Wild Grief

by Tessa McWatt

In her memoir The Snag , the acclaimed, award-winning author of Shame on Me , Tessa McWatt, takes on personal and collective grief, and the solace and inspiration to be found in connecting with nature—and each other.

Every day, we hear about and experience griefs, large and small, in our families, friendships, communities, and worldwide. The grief of a loved one passing. The grief of a way of life ceasing to exist. The grief of global pandemic, war, climate collapse.

As her mother’s dementia advances and she can no longer live independently, Tessa McWatt confronts personal and political losses, and finds herself wandering in a forest asking, how do we grieve? And what can we learn from nature and those whose communities are rooted in nature about not only how to grieve but also how to live?

From the newest seedling to the oldest snag in the forest, there is meaning to be found in every stage of a tree’s life, all of which contribute to a thriving forest community. In this forest thinking, Tessa begins to find answers to her questions about how to live (for each other), how to grieve (radically), and how to die (with love and connection).

The Snag is an essential book about living and dancing and singing and praying, even in the face of unimaginable sadness, and in this way, growing together and supporting one another, like the trees in the forest.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

320 pages, Hardcover

Published May 6, 2025

About the author

Guyanese-born Canadian writer Tessa McWatt is the author of six novels and two books for young people. Her fiction has been nominated for the Governor General’s Award, the City of Toronto Book Awards, and the OCM Bocas Prize. She is one of the winners of the Eccles British Library Award 2018, for her memoir: Shame on Me: An Anatomy of Race and Belonging. She is also a librettist, and works on interdisciplinary projects and community-based life writing through CityLife: Stories Against Loneliness. She teaches Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.

Reviews

[Becca Younk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened on audio while walking around my neighborhood, which was great because the audiobook included sounds of nature. I'm hesitate about reading books about grief because they can veer into cliche or schmaltz, or just feel so self-centered. This was none of those, because grief over personal loss was tied into grief over climate change.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book that interweaves memoir and travel narrative, insights into the astonishing world of plants and fungi, reflections on what we lose and rebuild over the course of our lives, and on what we have lost and are losing as a species inhabiting this overburdened planet. Oftentimes sad, but with moments of hope and joy that are deeply rooted in family, art, and love. I learned a lot from this book (‘petrichor’ is my new favorite word) and was touched by the author’s probing candor in her search for answers, to her personal questions and moral dilemmas as well as to those besetting the world at large – a book that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous poetic musings that tie together the author's history of immigration from Guyana to Canada to England, identity as a mixed-race person, colonial legacy, grief over the loss of a friend by suicide during covid, grief over her beloved mother's demise, and grief over the sixth extinction underway on our planet. I absolutely loved the writing and the weaving, but I can't recommend to anyone who demands a plot!

[Enid Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little exploration of life, love, family, community, colonialism, inter-generational trauma, ecology… with more than a little about grief along the way.

I personally enjoyed reading it - feeling comfort in a shared experience as I navigate the final chapter of the life of my own parents.

[Andrew Ruhemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was blown away by this book. Echoes of Braiding Sweet grass in its celebration of the dealing power of Nature. but somehow with added layers of pathos and even comedy at times in her enchanting relationship with her ageing mother who suffers with dementia.
Deeply moving and comforting at the same time.

[Alanna Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Snag
This was an interesting book to listen to while walking. I loved how the author wove the elements of grief and life’s journey into nature and the life of trees. The combination of science and emotion was unique. I appreciate the author’s perspective on life and loss.