My colleagues, Julie and Kate, suggested Dead Mom Walking by Rachel Matlow to me a while back. They promised it was at once funny, frustrating, and heartbreaking. They weren't wrong – it's definitely a "traumedy"! This memoir follows the author's battle to convince her mother (Elaine) to take the medically necessary steps to cure her cancer. As the reader, all you can do is stand by and watch the disaster unfold, because you know that Elaine isn't going to budge. The story interspersed with memories from Matlow's childhood as well as some of the other stressors she had been enduring around the same time as her mother's decline, including working for Jian Ghomeshi during the height of CBC's Q. This memoir is especially great in audiobook format, which include clips of recorded conversations between mother and daughter.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

This is such a hard review to write. It is the story of a family's journey from an initial cancer diagnosis to the end of life. Although I had complete empathy for the family it must have been so hard for them to go along with the mother's wishes which at times seemed strange. However she had obviously never been a conventional follower of expected behaviour so I guess they knew what to expect.

Be prepared for some laughter but also some tears.

Oh my how I loved this book! I couldn’t stop laughing at all the mishaps. I’m glad I’m not the best ly one that has them. Great book!

Dead Mom Walking is a memoir of Rachel Matlow's experiences when her mom, Elaine, was diagnosed with Stage 1 cancer. Instead of following conventional treatment, Elaine decides to heal herself through alternative, natural treatments. I feel bad about giving a memoir only 2 stars, and I don't want to discount Rachel's experiences and feelings, but this book just didn't work for me. The situation was incredibly frustrating and the book itself was a bit too long and repetitive.

It was hard not to feel frustrated throughout the book for the myriad of bad decisions that were made. However, it was much harder to deny feeling the immense outpouring of loss, empathy and love - as well as the portrayal of the brevity and preciousness of life - that was so eloquently portrayed.

You take the good, you take the bad and you get Rachel Matlow’s Dead Mom Walking: a Traumedy. When Matlow’s mom is diagnosed with stage 1 colon cancer it seems like it will be a fairly straightforward course of action towards healing. What she didn’t anticipate was her free-spirited mother would forgo all conventional medicine instead opting to cure herself using everything from herbal tinctures to talking to her cancer cells. While Matlow tries to come to terms with her mother’s decisions she is also dealing with her own turmoil in her job as a radio producer on Q during Jian Gomeshi’s reign. She is left an empty shell but with the help of a therapist and her mother’s journals she is able to find peace in her life after her mother passes away. Her complicated yet undeniable love for her mother is apparent as she tries to understand why her mother was so obstinate in accepting medical professional advice. This is a true testament of a mother-(son)daughter love for each other despite not always agreeing with each other’s decisions. The raw emotion in this book will have you laughing one minute to grabbing your box of Kleenex the next.