I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell

 

For our bookclub in November, we read I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell. The book is a memoir about the author's life from the perspective of seventeen different incidents in which she (or in one case, her daughter) comes close to death. Some of these incidents include childhood illness, potential drowning, assault, accidents, and childbirth. We learn about the backstories of these incidents, and from them we are able to piece together a picture of the author as a child, teenager, young adult, lover, wife, and mother.

Most liked the book, although some had a hard time connecting to the main character/author. Of course, the book dealt with many difficult topics so was not considered light reading. We discussed the scenes that triggered the most fear for us and which inspired resilience and feelings of hope. The stories certainly helped us keep our own lives in perspective.

Among many other topics, we also shared thoughts on how Thanksgiving will be different this year and possible plans for coming together in person some day in the future. We missed Liz this time, but we sent her our love.

As Karen said, "We were, we were, we were."