A review by sheilakay
In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss, by Amy Bloom

4.0

Beautiful, sad book about author Amy Bloom’s husband, Brian Ameche, being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and their search for a way he could peacefully end his life before losing his cognitive ability to make that choice. The chapters alternate between the last 4 days of his life in Switzerland, where they go to be helped by Dignitas, which is an organization committed to what they term “accompanied suicide”, and chapters devoted to documenting the time leading up to and following the diagnosis. I felt Bloom’s angst and heartbreak on every page, as she watched her beloved husband’s mind ebb and flow ever gradually away from reality, as well as her frustration at the medical professionals who put roadblocks in their path as time ticked away. The chapter where he ends his life is raw, honest, and exquisitely poignant. I finished the book wondering how we can move forward to a society that respects an individual’s right to end his or her life without the impediments Bloom and Ameche faced, even as I still struggle with the ramifications of allowing people to make that choice.