The Flowers Mother Ate: A Daughter's Memoir

By Garnett Kilberg Cohen

A memoir-in-essays, The Flowers Mother Ate captures the gradual decline of the author's mother, an artist who lived with Alzheimer's disease for more than a decade. The book's nonlinear structure and mix of literary styles and perspectives reflect the ever-shifting, often bewildering nature of dementia--for both the patient and their loved ones. Glimpses of imagery from their former life--like a beer bottle perched on the edge of a bathtub or faded oil paintings of a much younger mother and daughter--blend together with the stark realities of elder care, including doctor's appointments, difficult conversations, and unpredictable behavior. What emerges is a relatable portrait of life, death, and family in modern America, told in a series of stunning and often surprising stories.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0299361845
• ISBN13: 9780299361846
• Release Date: March 2027
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.