The Journal Keeper

This personal memoir "reminds us that there is no such thing as an ordinary moment, and certainly no such thing as an ordinary life." —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of  Eat, Pray, Love   The Journal Keeper is an openhearted, unflinchingly honest memoir of six years in Phyllis Theroux's life as she ages into her sixties. Reflecting deeply on both her practice as a writer and her personal experiences, she culls from the journals she carefully keeps to create a compelling narrative describing the void left by the passing of her remarkable mother—as well as the joyful surprise of a new love. A natural storyteller, she touches on subjects that occupy us all: loss, loneliness, growing old, financial worries, spiritual growth, and caring for an aging parent.   "[Theroux] excels at closely observed and elegantly expressed portraits of domestic life . . . a lovely writer . . . The best thing about The Journal Keeper is the way it leaves us hopeful—and expectant—about what will happen next." — The Christian Science Monitor   "Theroux seems to possess a certain calmness and wisdom . . . [ The Journal Keeper] is full of small, lyrical insights." — The Washington Post