While it sheds some light on the struggles (and is incredibly impactful in bringing up a different side of the conversation) it may not be a novel for everyone. I can see this novel being incredibly triggering for anyone living with depression or suicidal ideation or anyone loving someone experiencing this. These women are multifaceted and I feel like this novel gives us so much, yet not all, of them. Elf is written as such a strong and impactful character, stubborn, fighting for what she wants even when what she wants (to die) would often result in our society labelling her as someone who isn’t strong. Yolandi’s internal dialogue in dealing with her sister and the changes and choices happening in her own life is relatable and real. Toews is a master of creating incredible, lovable, damaged, resilient characters dealing with ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. A major focus is put on a serious mental illness as well as its impacts on the people who love and have relationships with the person and how they live with the knowledge that someone they love so much does not want to continue living. The themes of suicide and depression in this novel are intense, serious, and so real. Always a little quirky, slightly scattered and written with some humour and hope, even when the subject matter is incredibly tough. Having read several Toews’ books in the past, I was comforted by her unique and familiar writing style. Raised in a Mennonite community, having lost their father to suicide a few years earlier, this story is a reflection on their lives as children, as sisters, and their present-day struggle to survive Elf’s depression and desire to end her suffering and Yoli’s response to that along with the changes in her own life-like her recently ended marriage and her children. By one of Canada’s top authors-and one of my favourites-Miriam Toews’ All My Puny Sorrows is about two sisters, Yolanda and Elfreida one trying desperately to die and the other trying to keep her sister alive while also supporting her.

My puny sorrows book