Souvenir Press, 2005, translated by Elfreda Powell
This taboo-breaking book deepens the understanding of the death of one’s parents through the experiences of the author, a daughter of Holocaust survivors. Her parents never communicated their imprisonment experiences, causing Lydia Flem to grow up in a stifling silence that was finally broken upon their deaths as she emptied the old house. She discovers that the lonely process of bereavement is not only one of grieving, but a chaotic jumble of emotions that range from anger and oppressive, infinite pain to revulsion, remorse, and a strange sense of freedom.
Review
« Elegant, poignant and profoundly honest, The Final Reminder is a rumination on ageing, bereavement, solitude and ancestry. » — ‘Times Literary Supplement’
« Lydia Flem has used the process of clearing out her parents’ home after her mother’s death to explore her grief. » — ‘Jewish Chronicle’
« In the process of clearing the house Lydia… gets to know her mother more truly after death. » — ‘Spectator’
« This painful but poignant and taboo-breaking book… explores the process of bereavement and the curious mix of emotions it brings. » — ‘Tribune’
« Deserves to take its place in that select library, alongside Tennyson’s In Memoriam and CS Lewis’s A Grief Observed. » — ‘Sunday Times’ –This text refers to the Paperback edition.