After Eleanor

I knew soon after my mother died that I would write about the experience.

After Eleanor is Alison Haynes' first narrative non-fiction work and is an intimate but never sentimental account of the days, weeks and ultimately years following her mother's premature and lonely death in England. After learning of Eleanor's passing, Alison travelled to England to help her sister make funeral arrangements. Over time, she began piecing together details of her mother's life, a process which led to reflections on her own life and that of her young family and Alison Haynes a determination to live life more fully. As trinkets are claimed and books from her library are shared around, Alison learns of her mother's hopes and aspirations. As she reflects on her mother's life, Alison's memories touch on Eleanor's experiences of living in the UK, Asia, Egypt and the USA.

After Eleanor will resonate with many women who face the inevitability of losing their own mothers or who are in the stages of motherhood themselves. It's a gentle, moving and easy-toread memoir written with great competence by Alison, and is all the stronger for its quietness.