Agata Tuszynska - "Exercises of Loss".

Title: Exercises in Loss Author: Agata Tuszyńska Genre: biography/memoir Publication date: 2007 Publisher: Wydawnictwo Literackie Review: This book is an autobiographical account of the author’s experiences after her husband—the well-known and respected literary critic and translator Henryk Dasko—unexpectedly learns that he has been diagnosed with a brain glioma. It is an incredibly authentic and honest record of the emotions accompanying the wife from the moment of diagnosis until her husband’s death. It is a story about how difficult it is to come to terms with the loss of a loved one, about what it feels like when the person closest to you—the one with whom you were talking and laughing until you cried just a short while ago—now barely recognizes you, confuses you with his ex-wife, or doesn’t react at all to what you say. The author shows us what it means to stay together until the very end, laying bare the entire story of her love. It’s also worth reading this book to see yourself and the entire medical staff through the eyes of a seriously ill patient and his family. Many observations and comments on this subject come from the author’s lips—they’re brief and offhand, but unfortunately bitter and quite accurate. The book reminds us that every patient is an individual, not just another case.