NothingWastheSame

FromtheinternationallyacclaimedauthorofAnUnquietMind,anexquisite,hauntingmeditationonmortality,grief,andloss.PerhapsnoonebutKayRedfieldJamison—whocombinestheacuteperceptionsofapsychologistwithawriterlyeleganceandpassion—couldbringsuchadelicatetouchtothesubjectoflosingaspousetocancer.Indirect,straightforward,andattimesstrikinglylyricalprose,Jamisonlooksbackatherrelationshipwithherhusband,RichardWyatt,arenownedscientistwhobattleddebilitatingdyslexiatobecomeoneoftheforemostexpertsonschizophrenia.Andwithhercharacteristichonesty,candor,wit,andsimplicity,shedescribeshisdeath,herownlong,difficultstrugglewithgrief,andhereffortstodistinguishgrieffromdepression.ButshealsorecallsthegreatjoythatRichardbroughtherduringthenearlytwentyyearstheyhadtogether.Wrylyhumorousanecdotesminglewithbittersweetmemoriesofarelationshipthatwaspassionateandloving—iftroubledonoccasionbyhermanic-depressive(bipolar)illness—asJamisonrevealsthewaysinwhichherhusbandencouragedhertowriteopenlyabouthermentalillnessand,throughhiscourageandgracetaughthertolivefully.Apenetratingpsychologicalstudyofgriefviewedfromdeepinsidetheexperienceitself,NothingWastheSameisalsoadeeplymovingmemoirbyasuperbwriter.