The Art of Reassembly: A Memoir of Early Mother Loss and Aftergrief

by Peg Conway

If your mom is dead, is she still your mom? At twenty-five—nearly two decades after losing her mother to breast cancer as a little girl—an accident on a downtown street unleashes startling emotional reactions in Peg Conway, and this question starts to percolate. She comes to understand what she’s experiencing as long-buried childhood grief, and as she marries and becomes a mother herself, Peg’s intense feelings challenge her to offer herself compassion. Gradually she confronts how growing up surrounded by silence in a family that moved on from sorrow had caused her to suppress her mother’s memory for far too long. Ultimately, after excavating all the layers, Peg finds her mom again, and in the process discovers that truth, no matter how painful, heals.

238 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 9, 2021

Reviews

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wise and gentle book. I found it so helpful and hopeful. Peg writes with honesty and courage about her journey towards greater understanding of her family’s history and how it has shaped her, and conveys sensitively the way in which the truth is ultimately freeing. I particularly took strength from the passages about being a mother herself and how it brought her closer to a long line of maternal care and love. Thank you Peg for this kind book.

[Leigh Conard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peg does a great job of taking us through her journey of mother loss at an early age and how it affected her at different ages and stages of life. Peg’s compassion toward her inner child is shown throughout the book and is a great example for anyone else who has experienced early mother loss. I highly recommend this book!

[Ellen Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Peg leads us in a compelling journey from loss to numbness to grief to hope. Her touching and challenging memoir also gifts us with a glimpse into her inspiring service with children who have experienced their own loss and aftergrief.