Conversations with My Mother: A Novel of Dementia on the Maine Coast (Premier Fiction Series)

Gilbert, Ronald-Stéphane

ISBN 13: 9798891645103

Publisher: Center Point, 2025

Synopsis

The memory of who we are survives in those we love. In Conversations with My Mother, an elderly, good-hearted Francophone struggles with dementia as her small town succumbs to real-estate development. Focused on her relationship with her acerbic caregiver daughter and peripatetic businessman son, the novel examines the siblings' attempts to cope with their mother's deepening decline and the impending sale of the family property to underwrite her care....

About this title

About the Author

Born into a New England family of Qu&#233;b&#233;cois descent, Ronald-St&#233;phane Gilbert is a retired global marketing and communications professional who lives in the Cleveland metro area with his wife Leah and their aged rescue Pekingese, Reggie. His debut novel, <i>Conversations with My Mother, a Novel of Dementia on the Maine Coast, </i> was inspired by his mother's gentle but unremitting descent into dementia and Alzheimer's and his family's attempts to care for her while cherishing what remained of her rapidly vanishing personality. He is a participant in the Cleveland Clinic's landmark BRAIN and Mind studies, a member of various dementia and Alzheimer's organizations, and a native French speaker.

From the Back Cover

A first-person present narrative with a strong sense of place that draws parallels between the beleaguered heroine's persistent kindness and the embattled Maine coast's enduring beauty, the book is as much about gain as it is about loss, and, ultimately, is more about hope than regret.

From the Inside Flap

"This fictionalized account of the relationship between mother and son as<br>the parent slowly succumbs to dementia is a deeply insightful and engaging<br>work. It is thoughtful, touching, and entirely authentic....The narrative is<br>beautifully composed, entrancing readers through language and story...a truly<br>unique novel from the first page to the last." <b><i>BookLife Reviews</i></b><br><br>"Gilbert paints a compassionate mural of a life well-lived in the sweet musings<br>of a mother as dementia ravages the canvas of her memories. A touching tale<br>of love and devotion as a brother and sister navigate the turbulence of old age<br>and dementia in caring for their elderly mother, a Quebecois who clings to<br>her sanity and French heritage on coastal Maine, as her life ebbs away."<br><b>Julia Fox Garrison, motivational speaker and author of <i>Don't Leave Me This Way</i></b><br><br>"In a series of fictional vignettes, Ronald-St&#233;phane Gilbert insightfully<br>explores the descent of a clan's matriarch into dementia. I recommend this<br>touching novel to anyone who wants to learn about the effect of an elder's<br>cognitive deterioration on a family and its caregivers." <b>Sandeep Jauhar, MD, </b><b><i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Doctored: The Disillusionment of an American Physician </i>and <i>My Father's Brain: Life in the Shadow of Alzheimer's</i></b><br><br>"For all of us who have been touched by dementia, this story, so well told in<br>this book, will feel achingly familiar. But for those who haven't, Conversations<br>With My Mother provides a powerful window into the lives of people living<br>with dementia as well as the loved ones who care for them. While this book<br>is about sharing conversations within one family, I hope it will help spark a<br>national conversation about dementia that will bring it out of the shadows<br>and eliminate the stigma that too often impedes progress." <b>George Vradenburg, </b><b>cofounder of UsAgainstAlzheimer's, and chair of the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative, the Phillips Collection, and the Vradenburg Foundation</b><br><br>"Conversations with My Mother depicts an elegant, older woman facing<br>dementia, and its effects on her family. Set on the beautiful, but ever-more<br>crowded coast of Maine, it's a fitting reminder that despite our memories<br>of how idyllic things might have seen, we can come to accept a new reality:<br>the past is history, the future a mystery, while being present, especially in the<br>presence of dementia, is a gift to all." <b>Kevin Jameson, founder and chair of Dementia Society of America</b><br><br>"Ronald-St&#233;phane Gilbert has a gift for capturing the delicious details of life.<br>He creates a vivid atmosphere as he introduces us to the strong and captivating<br>presence of a mother who is just entering her dementia journey. This book is<br>a bouquet of anecdotes that honor this mother, based on the author's own<br>mother, and capture her story with the family's dynamics and intricacies. The<br>writing is engaging, filled with poignancy, wit, loss, and love."<b> Deborah Shouse, author of <i>Love in the Land of Dementia: Finding Hope in the Caregivers' Journey</i></b><br><br>"Who grapples more when a loved one drifts into dementia? This author has<br>created a masterfully crafted, fictionalized story of the journey taken by his<br>mother as she and her children struggle with the new reality of dementia.<br>A poignant portrayal of a plucky woman determined to face her memory's<br>demise while holding on to life's connections. Siblings, whose love for each<br>other is intertwined with frustration and resentment, plan for mom's necessary<br>care and for life once passed. Conversations with My Mother provides a window<br>into the intimate and private moments of each character. Set in Maine, with its<br>startlingly beautiful coastlines, the author creates vivid imagery and engages<br>the reader's sensitivity. Simply, a beautiful read!" <b>Maxine Brand, author of <i>The Brand Family Chronicles or OMG They're Moving Again</i></b>

Edition details

• Publisher: Center Point
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798891645103
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 512