A Guide to All of This: A Memoir of Death and Desire

By William R Twitchell

THIS IS NOT A BOOK BY REBECCA WOOLF, NOR IS IT AFFILIATED WITH HER. IT IS AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION WRITTEN TO REVIEW KLEIMAN'S BOOK TO OFFER AN INSIGHT ON THE ORIGINAL BOOK.

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL BOOK

We prefer to compress the last separation of death into something simpler, with easy-to-follow rules and standards, since it is so terrible, complex, and difficult for people to fathom. The most well-known rule is that we should not talk evil of the deceased. Instead, we are rewriting history. Fights and gaffes vanish magically. Difficult times fade into insignificance. We adored them, we claim. Every day, we miss them. We don't know what we'd do without their kindness. We would give everything to have them back.

In Rebecca Woolf's case, however, her connection with her late husband was not just unsatisfactory but also poisonous. All of This, her book, foregoes such charming postmortem adjustments in favor of the messy, liberating reality.

Woolf had planned to divorce Hal when he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and given barely months to live. They'd made it as far as they could with four children in a relationship rife with anger, casual cruelty, and Hal's control problems, leaving Woolf desperate and suffocated. Woolf saw their upcoming divorce as a fast-approaching catapult to independence until Hal's condition put up a puzzling and painful obstacle. Suddenly, she honored the wedding promise she had vowed to avoid: she would remain until the end.

Woolf does not mince words or trade-in politeness. Even when he was dying, Hal was difficult to like: he was demanding and immature about his illness's rapid progression. He was estranged from his children, and the hardship he caused his wife seemed to be intentional. Woolf started hunting for other companions soon after his death, typically for brief encounters, as her excitement and relief got entwined with her sadness. Along the way, Woolf discloses more of Hal's humanity, demonstrating that there were bright times even amid their marriage's conflict and anguish. This is an all-encompassing account of a failed marriage, and Woolf is as unflinchingly honest about it as she is about the sense of loss that brought it to an end.

"I loved this guy once, then I despised him, then I loved him again, and then I hated him again, and then I loved him again, and then he died," Woolf wrote. "This was the narrative of our love."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0BB67H565
• ISBN13: 9798847539289
• Release Date: August 2022
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"