Pearkes Eileen Delehanty

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Glass Seed

From the heart of the mountains in British Columbia comes this poignant memoir that delves into the nature of memory and the power of the human heart to heal. In her first full-length work of creative non-fiction, author Eileen Delehanty Pearkes investigates cultural ideas about care, compassion and loss in the face of her mother's terminal illness. When Pearkes first realises that her mother has Alzheimer's disease, she begins to consider what it means to be a mother, daughter and woman. Fuelled by a desire to heal herself and care for her mother, Pearkes embarks on an inward journey toward understanding. During a winter spent in quiet reflection, she gathers historical, religious and mythic perspectives on beauty and womanhood which then nourish a contemplation of her own mother-daughter relationship. She discovers that beyond the fragility of her mother's body and mind, something intangible and enduring remains untouched. Lyrical and intimate, Pearkes' voice resonates with the seasons as she takes us on a journey through winter to spring, from disintegration to wholeness. The evocative language of GLASS SEED reveals the influence of yoga and an intensely personal approach to the politics of womanhood, from this emerging writer in the literary tradition of women's spiritual memoir.