The Mahogany Pod: A Memoir of Endings and Beginnings

The Mahogany Pod is a deeply moving account of falling in love with someone who only has a few months to live. Through honest prose, Jill Hopper's story explores the joy and pain of loving and losing, and the beginnings that come after endings. “A work of literature: beautifully written, meticulously structured and heart-rending.” “Written in elegant, lucid prose that comes straight from the heart, The Mahogany Pod is a deeply moving and compelling read. Hopper moves deftly between past and present, alternating moments of almost unbearable poignancy with ones of great hope. This is a powerful tribute to human resilience by a talented writer.” “A rich and tender book, The Mahogany Pod is a haunting tribute to a life and to a companionship, a testament to the power and beauty of love which transcends death.” “The Mahogany Pod is a beautiful exploration of love, loss and the grieving process. Jill Hopper forensically dissects a decades-old tragedy to reveal that those we have loved are never truly lost but remain part of us always, and that pain needs to be faced honestly to become bearable. It is a compassionate, heart-breaking, and uplifting description of love. Spell-binding.” "A searingly beautiful memoir of love and loss, grief and joy. In The Mahogany Pod, Jill captures the seeds of the ending contained within every beginning and the beginnings contained within each end." What I love about this affecting and beautifully written memoir is how it examines the long tail of grief, and how bereavement can last a lifetime, even when in the eyes of the world, you have “moved on”. The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice; “Deeply personal and in places searingly sad but relatable to anyone who has loved and lost … Perhaps this is the perfect book to read during a pandemic.” “Seeds from which love bloomed … holding them now, she feels them glow with promise.” "What I love about this affecting and beautifully written memoir is how it examines the long tail of grief, and how bereavement can last a lifetime, even when in the eyes of the world, you have “moved on”." "Hopper writes with … a deceptive simplicity that is as honest as it is heart-breaking. Her narrative is light-footed; a dance … choreographed against our expectations of linear time. … She does not spare us, but she prepares us. She is kind." “A work of literature: beautifully written, meticulously structured and heart-rending.” ObserverWhat if you knew from the beginning how your relationship was going to end? When Jill Hopper first met Arif, they were living in a shared house on the island of Osney in the River Thames. Surrounded by willow trees, birds and reflections, it was an idyllic home. But no sooner had they begun to fall in love than Arif was given the news that he had only a few months to live. Everyone told Jill to walk away, but she was already in too deep. Years later, Jill rediscovers Arif’s parting gift – an African seedpod – and finally sets out to trace the elusive patterns that shaped their relationship. The Mahogany Pod is a tender and vital account of what it means to live, and love, fully.

• | Author: Jill Hopper
• | Publisher: Saraband
• | Publication Date: Feb 11, 2021
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9781912235933
• | ISBN-10: 1912235935