Did I Ever Tell You?
A Memoir
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- 125,00 kr
Publisher Description
A true story of a mother’s love, kept alive through gifts, letters, and time.
When Genevieve (Gwen) Kingston lost her mother at age eleven, she was left with more than memories. Her mother had prepared a chest filled with handwritten letters and carefully chosen gifts—for the birthdays and major life milestones they wouldn’t get to share.
As Did I Ever Tell You? begins, only three packages remain: for Gwen’s engagement, marriage, and first baby. Their unopened presence sparks a quiet, powerful reflection—not just on the gifts, but on the woman who gave them. What follows is more than a coming-of-age story. It’s a deeply personal journey through grief, memory, and lasting connection. Each gift opens a new window into Gwen’s life—and into the legacy her mother left behind.
Beautifully written and thoughtfully told, Did I Ever Tell You? speaks to anyone who has faced loss, navigated change, or found strength in the memory of someone they love. In the spirit of Crying in H Mart and The Last Lecture, this “unforgettable” (Good Morning America) memoir reminds us how we carry those we’ve loved with us—always.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In this poignant memoir, author and actor Genevieve Kingston shares how her mother continued to shape her life with love—even after her death. Kingston was just a toddler when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She would miraculously survive until Kingston was 11, but knowing that she’d lose her battle with the disease eventually, Kingston’s mom left behind a legacy of love in the form of messages and keepsakes that would be given to her children at key moments throughout their lives. Kingston’s writing is so rapturously poetic, we were mesmerized by her words from the beginning as she recounts her earliest memories. As the years go by and her journey through loss begins, it’s incredibly moving to learn how the journals, videos, and small gifts left behind by Kingston’s beloved mom helped her grapple with her grief and depression. This read is a brilliant portrait of how some bonds can overcome any obstacle, including death.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Actor and playwright Kingston delivers a knockout debut about coming to terms with her mother's death. When Kingston was seven years old, her mother, Kristina, revealed that her once-manageable cancer had become terminal. Four years later, Kristina died, leaving behind a chest of letters and gifts for Kingston to open on birthdays and other milestones, including her first period and her high school graduation. Those missives taught the teenager things about Kristina she'd never known, including her professional achievements and family history, and kept Kingston feeling that "my mother anticipated what I needed before I knew it myself." When, shortly after Kingston left for college, tragedy struck her family again, she clung to her mother's letters harder than ever, relying on them and her surviving relatives to make it to graduation. Kingston shares many memorable moments, including how she tried to forestall her parents from sharing news of her mother's diagnosis by cracking jokes, without allowing the proceedings to become maudlin. This gorgeous, openhearted meditation on grief and family deserves a wide readership.
