The Father --poems by Sharon Olds

 Nonfiction / poetry

Alfred A. Knopf, A Borzoi Book

1992, First Edition

Paperback, 96 pages

5 Stars

 

This book won’t be for everyone, but for those it speaks to, it is a full symphony of words. It is about her time as a daughter, a caregiver, to her dying father. If you have not lost a close person to death, you may not be able to relate, but if you’ve lost people you love to a debilitating illness, this book will give you permission to weep, to laugh, to cry, to mourn. I know, that sounds so depressing, but it isn’t. It’s healing. It’s beauty in being human, in loving people who have their own foibles, in recognizing that part of the circle of life is birth, and part is death. 

 

This is a book of great beauty, and Olds is a gift to all of us. Buy this book. Read this book. Many times.