Less than a year after being diagnosed with inoperable cancer, Fiona Mason's husband died at home. She was his carer. Unflinching in its detail, this book is a delicate chronicle of his last day and an account of thirty-six hours that changed her life. It's also an invitation to find better ways to talk about death and dying.
Originally from the Midlands, Fiona Mason now lives between the salt marshes of the east of England, and the Ariege Pyrenees in southwest France where she's renovating a house with her partner. She holds MAs in Philosophy (Essex) and Creative and Life Writing (Goldsmiths), and combines her work as a writer with roles as a coach, mentor and creative writing tutor. She's at her happiest when lost in words or exploring a wild landscape.
Title: 36 Hours
Author:
ISBN: 9781916165526
Binding:
Publisher: Word After Word Press
Publication Date: 2022-11-11
Number of Pages: 192
Weight:
Fiona's intimate account of the last 36 hours of a man's life is a powerful work of life writing. It's courageous, tender, exasperated, angry, lyrical and occasionally even funny, but never voyeuristic. The simplicity of the prose and the honesty of observation are compelling. BLAKE MORRISON; Powerful and precise writing. It tackles elusive emotional states in a highly nuanced way. The detail is so lovingly preserved and presented. SASHA DUGDALE; Rarely have I felt so transported by someone else's words. Fiona draws you into the most intimate and personal of spaces and offers you the privilege of sharing 36 hours that would normally be invisible to the outside world. With great honesty and generosity, she invites us into her home as she cares for her dying husband. It's an invitation you won't want to turn down. BOBBIE FARSIDES, Professor of Clinical and Biomedical Ethics, Brighton and Sussex Medical School; 36 Hours addresses an area of real current debate and interest and does so in a way that prioritises both aesthetic and human concerns equally. Committed and talented writing. CHRIS GRIBBLE, National Centre for Writing; The writing is vivid and very clear, highlighting the delicate balance and poignancy of the work involved in end-of-life care and the minutiae of support involved in the simplest of daily activities, making the mundane poetic. A remarkable piece of work. KATE FLATT OBE; Deeply moving and intensely raw. LI MILLS, Death Doula; I'm in awe of the honesty and openness with which Fiona described her experience. Her account is a wonderful way of opening up some much-needed conversations about death and dying, not only at a public/societal level but, also at the patient-professional level. DR SIMONE ALI, Consultant in Palliative Medicine;
