Overview
When Jason Irwin visits his mother two days before Christmas, he finds her in bed, racked with pain. Later that night, at the ER the doctor on duty delivers a diagnosis, neither Jason nor his mother are prepared for: terminal cancer.
Not wanting to endure treatment that would only prolong her suffering, she insists on dying on her own terms, in her own apartment. Only after hospice is called, and her condition quickly worsens does his mother agree to move to a city three hours away and live with Jason and his partner.
These Fragments I Have Shored tells of the unique bond between mother and son. One narrative chronicles Irwin's role as caregiver during the final 35 days of his mother's life, while the other, tells of Jason's fight to break free and live a "normal life" despite being born with multiple and life-threatening birth defects. While struggling to keep Jason healthy despite a string of hospitalizations and surgeries, his mother internalizes feelings of guilt and shame, including her own unresolved childhood trauma, a failed marriage to Jason's father, and working low-paying, part-time jobs to survive.
Jason's growing independence, his moving away to attend graduate school to study poetry, coincides with his mother's own health and financial decline, forever changing the dynamic of their relationship. Yet, through all their ups and downs, a mutual love of music, reading, and the quirky absurdities of life hold them together.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781627206396
- ISBN-10: 1627206396
- Publisher: Apprentice House
- Publish Date: May 2026
- Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.58 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.71 pounds
- Page Count: 278
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