Cheri

by Jo Ann Beard

A masterpiece of fiction and memory, Cheri is a heart-breaking but glorious celebration of all the moments of beauty and pain that make an individual life, right up until its very last moments.

Cheri has been living with cancer for many years. Now she is dying. As she navigates the final weeks of her life, and takes charge of the manner of her death, she is flooded with childhood memories and returns to the present with a renewed appreciation for the brilliance of life around her. Autumn has never been so beautiful, her daughters never as radiant. Brave, incredibly strong and deeply loved, Cheri makes one last nerve-wracking journey across the country with her daughters and her friends.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Death, Novella, Literary Fiction

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 17, 2023

About the author

Jo Ann Beard is the author of a collection of autobiographical essays, The Boys of My Youth. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, Best American Essays, and other magazines and anthologies. She received a Whiting Foundation Award and nonfiction fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Reviews

[Claire Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheri jumps straight onto my top books of the year, except is it a book, or a novella, or even a short story? Is it fiction or biography or narrative non-fiction? Who cares, it's amazing. Cheri is about the final days of a woman's life. She's dying from cancer and her two adult daughters have come to stay to look after her. It's very short - 76 pages- but has everything - life, death, memory, love. If you're interested in reading it you might rather buy The Collected Works of Jo Ann Beard (as I am going to do now) and read Cheri as well as other pieces. I cried. A lot. Thanks to Julie Myerson for the recommendation.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking but beautifully written.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

And of course, nobody truly understands, but she can't see how it would matter if they did. The sandbags, the diminished lung capacity, the clangorous pain. It's all so intensely personal and claustrophobic, the heightening present mixed up with the banal past--this morning she nearly swooned from the vertiginous sight of her old maple dresser rising and falling, a pistoning bedpost, and the striped-shirted body of her brother Sean flinging himself up and down as they jumped on her bed.

I received this novella as part of the welcome pack at the Women’s Prize live events.

Jo Ann Beard is an American essayist and story writer who has not previously been published in the UK but will I understand have her first major publication in August 2023 with this novella and with a longer collection of her works.

“Cheri” was previously published in the US as one of the longer stories in the author’s collection “Festival Days” and is perhaps best described as fictionalised biography (or more accurately a story which is externally factual and internally imagined): telling, largely from a third party point of view, the true story of the last years and thoughts of Cheri Tremble who suffering from incurable, terminal and increasingly pain racked cancer (and crucially with a known issue with painkillers) contacts the (now infamous) Dr Jack Kevorkian who agrees to assist her with assisted suicide in December 1997.

Overall this is an incredibly moving and difficult book to read as Cheri finds her mind drawn to flashbacks from her past, even as she prepares for her final departure from her best friend and two older daughters.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claire Keegan helped popularize the trend of publishing stand-alone stories as small hardback volumes. It was my first time reading Beard, and her style does in fact remind me of Keegan, along with Denis Johnson and Ann Patchett. This originally appeared in the literary magazine Tin House in 2002. It is the life story of Cheri Tremble, a real woman who was born in 1950 and died in 1997 via an illegal assisted suicide conducted by Dr. Jack Kevorkian. I’d heard a lot about Cheri, but his name was never mentioned – to avoid spoilers, of course, yet it’s key.

Cheri is an Amtrak ticket-taker who’s diagnosed with breast cancer in her mid-forties. After routine reconstructive surgery goes wrong and she’s left disabled, she returns to the Midwest and buys a home in Iowa. Here she’s supported by her best friends Linda and Wayne, and visited by her daughters Sarah and Katy. “Others have lived. She won’t be one of them. She feels it in her bones, quite literally.” When she hears the cancer has metastasized, she refuses treatment and starts making alternative plans. She’s philosophical about it; “Forty-six years is a long time if you look at it a certain way. Ursa is her seventh dog.”

Beard recounts all of this matter-of-factly (“the diminished lung capacity, the clangorous pain”), drawing on what is known of Cheri Tremble’s life and only adding her own stamp by making up memories that fuel flashbacks as Cheri drifts through pain-filled half-waking. One of these, of falling through the ice on a frozen pond as a child, appears early in the book and recurs at her moment of death. Beard also contrasts onlookers’ compassion or lack thereof.

It’s a potent portrait of everyday suffering and heroism and, in its way, an argument for assisted dying, which mustn’t be cloaked in secrecy as it was for Cheri – “They leave under cover of darkness, like duck hunters or criminals” to meet ‘Dr. Death’ in another state. I finished the story feeling underwhelmed; maybe I’ve simply read too much around the topic, but I couldn’t see how granting the subject interiority (which is what fiction is all about, yes, though the best biographies can do it, too) was enough to set it apart.

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.

[Nike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik ben thuisgekomen van de boekhandel en ben  meteen beginnen lezen. Ik las het in één ruk uit en ik was er kapot van. Wat een mokerslag! Een verhaal over sterven, maar vol van leven. Rauw, maar diep menselijk. Zo zo mooi.

[Samuel Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly beautiful from start to finish.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful writing, but oh my god is this the saddest book ever. It's just over 70 pages long, and I genuinely couldn't read any more so stopped 20 pages before the end. I did a big old ugly cry and put it away.

I should say, I can handle a lot of dark subject matters, but I'm not very good at confronting terminal illnesses like this. This will certainly resonate with many readers and be an incredible read. But..and I say this so rarely...it's too much for me.

[ღ winter ღ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5.0

“The fear of dying tonight is nothing, she realises, compared to the fear of still being alive tomorrow morning.”

beautifully written book about a terminally ill woman who has decided to shorten her suffering with the help of assisted s**cide. made me view life differently ngl.

[Tom Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Achingly, painfully beautiful. Rendered with the restraint, exactness and detail you find in the likes of Elizabeth Strout and Claire Keegan. I must read more of her work.

[Chinara Ahmadova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sağlam həyat keçirən Çeri bir gün rutin yoxlamada döş xərçəngi olduğunu öyrənir, ondan sonra isə həyatı gözləmədiyi bir yerə sürüklənir. Kədərli və şeirvari dili ilə özünə heyran etdi, məni həkimə apardı və göz yaşlarımla vidalaşdım.

[Amy [adleilareads] · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful little book that merges fact with fiction to recount Cheri Tremble’s final days suffering from cancer. It’s a heartfelt tribute, that’s left a lasting impact on me, as Cheri says her final goodbyes to her daughters and best friend and reclaims her body as her own.

“The pain sometimes is raucous, frightening; other times, it’s a dull glow in her chest, like she’s inhaling embers. It’s her spine she can’t stop thinking about, the recurring disquieting image of being alive inside a dead body.”

[Ming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought in London Review and finished in one sitting while downing hot choc. Good but the last line fucked me up. Brace yourself. Why are books sad.

[Karen Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written with clear-eyed compassion and gut-wrenching empathy, this is a tiny book of memory and reality…. Following the last months, through to the final moments, as Cheri looses her battle with cancer. Until the author’s note, I had no idea this was both fiction and fact. The writing is beautiful, and deeply moving. I sobbed as I closed the book, but it was worth it. #onesittingread

[Jennifer Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absolutely beautiful and moving novella about Cheri who has been living with cancer for many years and now finds out that she is dying.

In less than 80 pages, Beard manages to capture so much feeling between the pages; from sadness to anguish to numbness to pain to acceptance. It’s a meditation on life, our memories and learning to let go and enjoy the present moments. It’s a heartbreaking read but Cheri is a fighter, there are some tender moments with her two daughters and she relives the cherished memories of her full life.

A small but mighty book which despite the sad subject matter is life-affirming and comforting.

[Elena T · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent short story filled with warmth, wonder and heartbreak. Cheri is dying and as she approaches the end of her life she remembers the past and she tries to make the days she has left count. Full of love and compassion, this book really helped me reflect on what so many are going through every day right under my nose. Jo Ann Beard is a master of her craft and her writing is well worth your time.

[Mind the Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Språklig njutning. Bildrikt. Som när de två döttrarna tar paus mitt bland höstlöven där i Iowa och lutar sig mot sina krattor.

Läste den här på en solig septemberbänk. Precis under de mest existentiellt intensiva passagerna mot slutet blev jag avbruten av två unga män i motljus som "bara ville säga": - God loves you. Det var en desorienterande upplevelse. Dessutom trodde jag först att de skulle råna mig.

Boken publicerades först med den femstjärniga titeln Undertaker, Please Drive Slow. Och omslagsbilden är ett konstverk från 50-talet, 'Interior with book'. Bara det.

[Karoliina Timonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25/5

[Daveboyfella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow that was sad

[Rose Ewins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this for free in a gift bag and so didn't expect much from it and mainly picked it up to help with my reading goal. But I actually really enjoyed the writing and of course had a little cry :')

[Dave Van Rompaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I loved this. It's a kind lf short story morphed into a novella.

[Gretel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense and hallucinatory. Very moving.

[zy · Rating 4 out of 5]

IMPECCABLE writing. Jo Ann has the best vocabulary. Her words are profound and powerful without being too outlandish.

She is able to intertwine facts with fiction, giving us this masterpiece. The death is anticipated yet again I cried when it happened.

I love Cheri and I adore her courage, even more that she knows she’s weak and instead of succumbing to the monster; she decided to kill it with her dying too.

[Immy Stannard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 !! Nothing I love more than a suuuuper sad book where (spoiler) someone dies (not a spoiler the book is literally about what she’s thinking whilst she’s dying)

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving writing in this thankfully short heartbreaking novella.

[Iamthesword · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dying is hard. And yet, there is no way around it. What sounds like a simple truth, touches on the most fundamental ways we experience life. For all of our life, we have seen everything through our eyes. For us, the world doesn't exist outside of ourselves. And yet, when we die, everything else will continue while we are gone. It is something beyond our grasp.

Dying is hard. This is what Cheri learns after she got the devastating diagnosis: cancer. Not curable. Nothing left to do, but to prepare for the inevitable. We follow her through her last weeks, through moments of peace and moments of despair, through the psysical and the emotional pain, the deep emotions of a long goodbye. Beard has found the perfect tone that doesn't shy away from the hardship, but left me with a feeling of peace. It is heartbreaking and beautiful and I loved it very much.

[Romana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.

(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).

I don't strictly have complaints about this novella, it's just not the kind of writing I'm most excited or impacted by. Jo Ann Beard does well to write small moments and observations, and appreciate them. But I think a lot of these lovely little images went over my head whilst reading, so they didn't build up to a hugely emotional or profound experience.

Cheri was good and well written, just not really my jam.

[Suzanne Maughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to begin??? What a beautiful novella!

I defy anyone to read this and not have at least a boulder-sized lump in your throat.

This is the story of Cheri's last days as a cancer sufferer, and her look back on her life. Cheri is 46 years old. 46. That's a year older than me. What I hadn't known when I sat down to read this book is that Cheri was a real person, and her situation was massively real.

Beard's writing is beautifully lyrical, poetic, stunning. I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Josh Scott-clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheers Jo Ann, crying on the train now

[forlackofapeppername · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another grief novella. Lovely in moments but not quite devastating enough? Am I awful for saying so?

[JacquiWine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The name Jo Ann Beard will be new to many readers in the UK, but as Anne Enright is quoted as saying earlier this year, ‘she is one of the best writers at work today’. A critically acclaimed essayist, Beard has long been published in her native America, however the novella-length Cheri (alongside a longer collection of her work) marks her first appearance in the UK. Described by the author as ‘a merging of fact with fiction’, Cheri is a fascinating book, a remarkably affecting portrayal of a woman’s final months in the face of a terminal cancer diagnosis. It’s a devastating, humane and beautifully written novella; yet, despite the painful subject matter, there is something cathartic about this narrative too, a universality that will likely resonate with many readers.

Cheri gives us a window into the life of Cheri Tremble, a train conductor from Iowa, who is diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram. In short, the novella paints a picture of Cheri’s journey with cancer, informed by Beard’s discussions with Cheri’s friends and family following her death. While the details of Cheri’s condition are informed by facts, her thoughts and memories are luminously imagined by Beard – a fictional layering over actual events. The writing is gorgeous – eloquent, radiant and beautifully judged, flecked with memorable details that bring Cheri’s story to life.

Even the pain has a sharp, glittering realness to it, like a diamond lodged in her hip. (p. 38)

The novella opens with a memory from Cheri’s childhood, two brothers cycling down a street on a sweltering summer’s day.

They came slowly down the street, two boys on bicycles, riding side by side through the glare of a summer afternoon. She’s on the curb, and the sun is so bright and hot it feels like her hair is on fire. If she glances down, she can just see the rubber toes of her sneakers and the skirt of her sundress, the color of root beer. (p. 1)

This is how Cheri’s life is unfolding now, unconnected fragments from the past surging up from nowhere, like projections of a silent film playing inside her head; and while the reality of Cheri’s condition is undeniably bleak, these evocative memories provide some much-needed light.

To read the rest of my review, please visit:
https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2023...