A Matter of Death and Life

In this memoir, psychiatrist Irvin Yalom and his wife, feminist scholar Marilyn Yalom, document their final months together after Marilyn receives a terminal diagnosis of multiple myeloma. The narrative alternates between their individual perspectives as they navigate her physical decline and decision to pursue physician-assisted suicide. Irvin, a long-time practitioner of existential psychotherapy, applies his professional frameworks regarding death anxiety and grief to his own experience of losing a partner of sixty-five years. He chronicles his struggle with the prospect of solitude and the practical realities of bereavement.

This book serves practitioners of psychotherapy, individuals facing terminal illness, and those navigating the loss of a long-term spouse. Readers find a clinical yet intimate examination of how a specialist in the human mind handles the transition from caregiver to widower. The text provides a framework for understanding the biological and emotional stages of mourning. A reader walks away with a concrete perspective on the limits of professional expertise when confronted with personal trauma and the specific logistical steps involved in ending a life with dignity.