We Are Each Other

by Jess Mills

In Spring 2017, Jess gave birth to her first daughter, Ottie. Ten weeks later her mother, the much-loved Labour politician Dame Tessa Jowell MP, was diagnosed with advanced brain cancer. This is the story of the year that Jess spent with her baby daughter in one arm, and her dying mother in the other - of becoming a mother whilst losing her own.

Though Tessa Jowell lived a life of public service, this is not the story of a public person. We Are Each Other tells, with a powerful lyricism and raw intensity, of a mother and a daughter walking both sides of life and death together, documenting the extraordinary human ability to love, grieve and renew, alongside the changing seasons of the natural world.

Despite the universality of bereavement and grief, our cultural expression of it remains awkward and inarticulate. How can it still be that death - the only certain thing about living - is so difficult for us to commune with? In We Are Each Other Jess seeks to write the book she desperately needed to read, and contributes to a roster of works advancing a shared language of love, griefand healing such as Clover Stroud's The Red of my Blood, Cathy Rentzenbrink'sThe Last Act of Love and Michelle Zauner's Crying in H Mart. It is not a book about grief, but one which writes grief the internal journey from obliteration to renewal, which has no end, through which Jess discovers unknown capacities for resilience, love and courage.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 5, 2026

Reviews

[Saffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had huge respect for Tessa Jowell and that’s what drew me to this memoir by her daughter Jess Mills. Jess acknowledges how her mother was a much loved MP and campaigner but in We Are Each Other she focuses on Tessa’s role as a mother and grandmother. Shortly after Jess gives birth to her daughter Ottie in 2017, her adored mother collapses and is diagnosed with brain cancer. The memoir reflects on the last year of Tessa’s life, and what comes through overwhelmingly is the love she had for her family and how much she was adored by them. It’s an honest and open memoir that lays bare Jess’ feelings during this time. It’s a short book and I was completely immersed in it over the course of 24 hours. It’s beautifully written and i felt such sadness throughout but also happiness at the strength of the love between Jess and her mum. A beautifully written and moving memoir that I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.