When There Are No Words: Loss and Hope

Authors Christina Patterson, Fiona Mason and Alison Jean Lester have something in common with all of us; they have lost someone important to them and had to reconfigure their lives.
In Outside, the Sky is Blue, cleaning out her brother’s house after his death is the beginning of Christina Patterson’s journey into her family’s history. That journey starts with a young couple who decide to swap a glamorous diplomatic life in Rome for a housing estate in Surrey, a domestic life that is increasingly disrupted as her older sister is diagnosed with schizophrenia.

In 36 Hours, Fiona Mason chronicles the last day of her husband’s life after a battle with inoperable cancer. In beautiful prose she considers grief and care, and offers an invitation to find better way to talk about
death and dying.

Absolutely Delicious describes the months Alison Jean Lester spent with her mother as she set about enjoying the final phase of her life. Motivated to write the book because of how her mother faced terminal cancer with curiosity and equanimity, Absolutely Delicious explores the emotional and social aspects of this extraordinary experience.

Chaired by Toby Crowe.