How Mum’s dementia changed our relationship
My mother opened her front door a crack and peered at me suspiciously. “What?” she asked. “Entertainment’s arrived,” I said, smiling. Her mistrust turned to delight. “A sing-song?” She chivvied me in. “No one told me you were coming.” She had been told. Many times. But vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease had recently robbed her of the ability to retain […]
Jenny Downham: ‘my own mother had Alzheimer’s and died while I was writing Unbecoming’
As a child what were your favourite books and which authors inspired you? What about now? As a young reader I devoured poetry, folk and fairy tales (Grimm, Andersen), and stories from the Arabian Nights and Ancient Greece. I loved Ann Holm (I Am David) and Robert C O’Brien (Z for Zachariah) – my first […]
Before I Die by Jenny Downham – Review
‘If you’re planning on reading this book, make sure you have a box of tissues with you, because, trust me, you will need them’ Before I Die is about Tessa Walker, a sixteen year old girl who’s dying from leukaemia. She’s made up a list – ten things she wants to do before she dies. […]
Divided by Date Rape – You Against Me NY Times Review
In the classic star-crossed romance, a crime forces a choice between youthful passion and family loyalty. For Romeo and Juliet, it’s the murder of Mercutio; for Tony and Maria, it’s the knife fight between Sharks and Jets. This is how tentative adolescent love turns into high drama. Parents don’t object to boyfriends or girlfriends for […]
An Interview With Jenny Downham
Jenny Downham’s first novel plainly announces its theme in its title: “Before I Die.” The narrator, 16-year-old Tessa, has recently learned that the leukemia she has been living with for four years is now terminal, and the question is: What now? She decides to make a top-10 list of things she wants to do in […]