My new book, Marrow: A Love Story, will be published in September. Over the coming months I’ll be posting little excerpts from the book and also I'll keep you updated about where I will be on book tour in the fall. Here's the text from the cover jacket. It's kind of surreal to read copy like this after living the experience and spending such a long time writing about it. But here it is, and here's the cover too! Thanks for being with me on this journey. Posting about my sister's illness and death and reading all of your comments over these past two years has been so very helpful and supportive.
A mesmerizing and courageous memoir: the story of two sisters uncovering the depth of their love through the life-and-death experience of a bone marrow transplant. Throughout her life, Elizabeth Lesser has sought understanding about what it means to be true to oneself and, at the same time, truly connected to the ones we love. But when her sister, Maggie, needs a bone marrow transplant to save her life, and Lesser learns that she is the perfect match, she faces a far more immediate and complex question about what it really means to love—honestly, generously, and authentically.
Hoping to give Maggie the best chance possible for a successful transplant, the sisters dig deep into the marrow of their relationship to clear a path to unconditional acceptance. They leave the bone marrow transplant up to the doctors but take on what Lesser calls a “soul marrow transplant,” examining their family history, having difficult conversations, examining old assumptions, and offering forgive- ness, until all that is left is love for each other’s true selves. Their process—before, during, and after the transplant—encourages them to take risks of authenticity in other aspects of their lives.
But life does not follow the storylines we plan for it. Maggie’s body is ultimately too weak to fight the relentless illness. As she and Lesser prepare for the inevitable, they grow ever closer, as their shared blood cells become a symbol of the enduring bond they share. Told with suspense and humor, Marrow is joyous and heartbreaking, incandescent and pro- found. The story reveals how even our most difficult experiences can offer unexpected spiritual growth. Reflecting on the multifaceted nature of love—love of other, love of self, love of the world—Marrow is an unflinching and beautiful memoir about getting to the very center of ourselves.
“Elizabeth Lesser has reached deep down—down beyond even her bones, and into the center of her soul—to write this beautiful book about her sister’s struggle with cancer. Every page of this book is rich with love. The love for her sister that Lesser describes is not always the simple kind of love (nor should it be; families are not always easy, after all) but it is love that is just as weighted by realism as it is lightened by mysticism. It is real love, and it is powerful, and it is transformative. This is truly a beautiful book, and an important one.”
—ELIZABETH GILBERT, of Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic
Marrow is available for pre-order from most vendors - you can find the list here, if you're interested.