The Transient: A Memoir and Meditations on the Loss of a Younger Sibling

by Judy Evans

The memoir describes the author’s experience of living through and with the sudden loss of her youngest brother, Dave, who died in a car crash at the age of 22. From the inarticulate childhood joy of first holding her tiny baby brother, to the stunning near-muteness that overcomes her adult self as she holds his cold body a few hours after he was killed, and through the hours, days, months, and years beyond, THE TRANSIENT details the trauma and the author’s integration of it in the long aftermath. Each brief chapter presents a single aspect of her experience, such as visiting the site of the crash, helping her parents choose a cemetery plot, accidentally dropping a photo of Dave through the floorboards of her porch and using string, duct tape, peanut butter, and a mashed-up marshmallow to retrieve it, and finding ways not only to survive holidays, but also to keep living through the seemingly endless hours of pain in ordinary days. These accounts are each followed by a meditation, creating an atmosphere of companionship in which the reader is acknowledged and included. Unlike books which feature academic research, statistics, and interviews with many people, THE TRANSIENT is an intensely personal journey that is not simply narrated but instead is shared between the author and the reader, with each small step tenderly contemplated.


Judy Evans majored in Biology and English at Ursinus College, where she won the college literary magazine’s Short Story Prize. She received her medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and her massage therapy certificate at the National Academy of Massage Therapy and Healing Sciences, and she currently works in medical proofreading. Her hobbies include dance, reading, learning about WWII history, and feeding the hummingbirds that visit her balcony garden in the suburbs of Philadelphia. After the sudden loss of her youngest brother, she developed a memoir not only as a tribute to him, but also as an attempt to support others who have lost someone dear beyond words.

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 19, 2017

About the author

Judy Evans majored in English and biology at Ursinus College, received her medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and received her massage therapy certificate at the National Academy of Massage Therapy and Healing Sciences. Her favorite activities include Latin dance, reading, spending too much time on Netflix, being outdoors (with ready access to the creature-comforts of indoors), learning about WWII history, and tending her balcony gardens.

Reviews

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really liked the book and found many parts relatable. For such a sad topic, the book was not a "tear-jerker" for me in that I never felt the author was trying to evoke any particular emotions, but more giving an honest account of her experiences with her loss and her healing process. The book is broken up into manageable chunks and I found some of her perspectives helpful.

[Marie Polega · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this memoir was truly outstanding. The author put into words so many things I felt after losing my sister, and her choice of words was so beautiful. I highlighted so much of it that some pages didn't even have text that wasn't highlighted. This was also the first grief book I've read that was so similar to my own experience (large age difference between siblings and circumstances of the death), so I could relate to a lot of what the author described. Highly recommended for bereaved siblings or anyone interested in grief memoirs.