Open Every Window

by Jane Munro

When Jane Munro’s husband is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the Griffin-award-winning poet must chart a path through the depths of grief, learning to live with loss and to take solace and find freedom in the restorative powers of writing. Open Every Window is a genre-bending prose account of the unravelling of a life―two lives―when Munro’s husband, Bob, twenty years her senior, is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Evoking Lorna Crozier's Through the Garden , this memoir charts a path through sorrow―the pain of seeing a partner age and approach death, the exhaustion of caretaking and the regret in seeing life’s scope narrow and diminish. Writing with courage and love, Munro grapples with what it means to care for a husband who is gradually but devastatingly deteriorating. Her identity as a writer, yoga practitioner, mother and grandmother is eclipsed by a single word― caregiver . When a doctor admonishes, “What job could be more important than caring for your husband?” Munro wonders if the same question would be asked if the roles were reversed and her husband was asked to put aside all his own needs in order to care for a wife with dementia. Ultimately, Munro finds respite in the power of writing, Iyengar yoga and the rhythms of the moon―not to heal but to allow her to face grief without breaking. A poignant affirmation for anyone who has experienced loss, Open Every Window reveals the pain and power inherent in loving and being loved. Framed with short observations of the moon―from a new moon in Pune, India, to the following new moon in Vancouver, Canada―this memoir will entrance with its lyricism and comfort with the writer’s hard-won warmth and wisdom.

256 pages, Hardcover

Published September 21, 2021

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

*CANADIAN*
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"Even though I wouldn't begin to think about happier times, there was a residue of them in my body."~pg.189
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Thoughts ~
An heartbreakingly beautiful read about watching your spouse go through Alzheimer's disease.

This book had me so emotional. Munroe is illuminatingly honest while she recounts her life and experience watching her husband go through his Alzheimer's diagnosis and end of life. The heartbreak of watching your loved one slowly slip away, your life together fading into something else. She also explores what it means to be a caregiver and the realities of this as a woman. How you lose yourself to this single role and how she found peace in writing, yoga and the rhythms of the moon. I read this very quickly. Munro's words were poignantly honest and offer a wonderful perspective on grief, loss and dying. If you enjoyed Through The Garden, or The Year Of Magical Thinking you might enjoy this one too.

Thank You to @zgstories and @douglasmcintyre13 for sending me this book opinions are my own.

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[Enid Wray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heartfelt look at love and loss, and the impact of a devastating diagnosis on a couple’s life…

This book started out strong, waned through the mid-section, and picked up again at the end. The parts that really spoke to me - the first and last - were the parts that explicitly addressed her husband’s condition and her struggle as a caregiver and in trying to find assistance. I found myself skimming parts in the mid-section.

I greatly appreciated the insight into her experience - confirmation of my own experience, and a glimpse into what to continue to expect as time rolls on - as I first stepped into the ‘caregiver’ role with my own parents back in 2015, and their needs are increasing… and my husband, who is 12 years older than me, is clearly starting to noticeably ‘age’ and I’m starting to stare down the consequences of our age gap.

[Johanna (jojreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking book. I don’t usually read many memoirs, but this one definitely spoke to me.
Jane Munro has written a totally unique memoir, blending prose and anecdotes to share her account of living with her older husband who devastatingly is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and his gradual decline and deterioration as she struggles to balance caring for him while maintaining her own sense of identity. I highly recommend reading this and know I will reread again in future.

[Tina Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book to read. It was relatable made you think about my own life of ups and downs. It was a hard book to put down.