rEview/ A Year of Days
The routine ins & outs of life are the backdrop of Myrl Coulter's nostalgic essays that pay homage to the memory of her late mother
by paula e. kirman
THE loss of a parent is one of those defining moments in life. For writer Myrl Coulter, the loss of her mother to a rare form of dementia was inspiration for a eulogy which led to the series of personal essays that make up the volume AYear of Days.
Coulter writes about aspects of her life that are actually quite mundane: vacations, special holidays, childhood memories, cooking soup, learning to play golf, and her annual ritual of attending the Folk Fest. Basically, fifteen essays that explore the average days that make up a typical year. What unites the essays is the ever-present memory of her mother and how she influenced Coulter's life and experiences.
What the personal narratives are, ultimately, are meditations on absence. Coulter obviously has a very full life, yet the absence of her mother is still keenly felt. Her words demonstrate how much influence a parent can have on the life of a child, even when that child is grown up and is herself a parent.
Her creative nonfiction is conversational in tone with accents of humour. While this would be an excellent volume to gift to someone experiencing the loss of a loved one, Coulter's emphasis is on cherishing her memories and moving forward. Perhaps that is the most important message of all for surviving children – one can feel absence without being absent to one's own life.
by paula e. kirman
THE loss of a parent is one of those defining moments in life. For writer Myrl Coulter, the loss of her mother to a rare form of dementia was inspiration for a eulogy which led to the series of personal essays that make up the volume AYear of Days.
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| Myrl Coulter's 'A Year of Days' |
Coulter writes about aspects of her life that are actually quite mundane: vacations, special holidays, childhood memories, cooking soup, learning to play golf, and her annual ritual of attending the Folk Fest. Basically, fifteen essays that explore the average days that make up a typical year. What unites the essays is the ever-present memory of her mother and how she influenced Coulter's life and experiences.
What the personal narratives are, ultimately, are meditations on absence. Coulter obviously has a very full life, yet the absence of her mother is still keenly felt. Her words demonstrate how much influence a parent can have on the life of a child, even when that child is grown up and is herself a parent.
Her creative nonfiction is conversational in tone with accents of humour. While this would be an excellent volume to gift to someone experiencing the loss of a loved one, Coulter's emphasis is on cherishing her memories and moving forward. Perhaps that is the most important message of all for surviving children – one can feel absence without being absent to one's own life.
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