Release Date: November 10, 2024
Size: 6 x 9
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-57869-181-4
eBook ISBN: 978-1-57869-284-2 Click Here to Buy the eBook
Library of Congress Control Number: 2024917165
Booksellers and Libraries: Order Info Here or at Ingram.

SYNOPSIS

The memory of who we are survives in those we love.

In Conversations with My Mother: a Novel of Dementia on the Maine Coast, an elderly, good-hearted Francophone struggles with dementia as her small town succumbs to real-estate development. Focused on her relationship with her acerbic caregiver daughter and peripatetic businessman son, the novel examines the siblings’ attempts to cope with their mother’s deepening decline and the impending sale of the family property to underwrite her care. A first-person present narrative with a strong sense of place that draws parallels between the beleaguered heroine’s persistent kindness and the embattled Maine coast’s enduring beauty, the book is as much about gain as it is about loss, and, ultimately, is more about hope than regret.

PRAISE

“This fictionalized account of the relationship between mother and son as the parent slowly succumbs to dementia is a deeply insightful and engaging work. It is thoughtful, touching, and entirely authentic…The narrative is beautifully composed, entrancing readers through language and story…a truly unique novel from the first page to the last.”

—BookLife Reviews

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“Author Ronald-Stéphane Gilbert mines his memories to stitch together an empathetic novel inspired by a beloved matriarch’s struggle with dementia…Set against the backdrop of New England, this novel is grounded in lived realism. Gilbert doesn’t sugarcoat the reality of cognitive decline caused by dementia…Still, even those whose parents haven’t suffered medical hardships will find much to contemplate in this emotionally nuanced depiction of a family forced to reckon with unthinkable circumstances.”

—BlueInk Review

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“An inherently fascinating and emotionally engaging read from start to finish.”

—Midwest Book Review

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“Gilbert paints a compassionate mural of a life well-lived in the sweet musings of a mother as dementia ravages the canvas of her memories. A touching tale of love and devotion as a brother and sister navigate the turbulence of old age and dementia in caring for their elderly mother, a Quebecois who clings to her sanity and French heritage on coastal Maine, as her life ebbs away.”

​—Julia Fox Garrison, motivational speaker and author of Don’t Leave Me This Way 

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“In a series of fictional vignettes, Ronald-Stéphane Gilbert insightfully explores the descent of a clan’s matriarch into dementia. I recommend this touching novel to anyone who wants to learn about the effect of an elder’s cognitive deterioration on a family and its caregivers.”

—Sandeep Jauhar, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Doctored: The Disillusionment of an American Physician and My Father’s Brain: Life in the Shadow of Alzheimer’s 

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“For all of us who have been touched by dementia, this story, so well told in this book, will feel achingly familiar. But for those who haven’t, Conversations With My Mother provides a powerful window into the lives of people living with dementia as well as the loved ones who care for them. While this book is about sharing conversations within one family, I hope it will help spark a national conversation about dementia that will bring it out of the shadows and eliminate the stigma that too often impedes progress.”

—George Vradenburg, cofounder of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, and chair of the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, the Phillips Collection, and the Vradenburg Foundation.

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“Conversations with My Mother depicts an elegant, older woman facing dementia, and its effects on her family. Set on the beautiful, but ever-more crowded coast of Maine, it’s a fitting reminder that despite our memories of how idyllic things might have seen, we can come to accept a new reality: the past is history, the future a mystery, while being present, especially in the presence of dementia, is a gift to all.” 

—Kevin Jameson, founder and chair of Dementia Society of America

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“Ronald-Stéphane Gilbert has a gift for capturing the delicious details of life. He creates a vivid atmosphere as he introduces us to the strong and captivating presence of a mother who is just entering her dementia journey. This book is a bouquet of anecdotes that honor this mother, based on the author’s own mother, and capture her story with the family’s dynamics and intricacies. The writing is engaging, filled with poignancy, wit, loss, and love.” 

—Deborah Shouse, author of Love in the Land of Dementia: Finding Hope in the Caregivers’ Journey

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“Who grapples more when a loved one drifts into dementia? This author has created a masterfully crafted, fictionalized story of the journey taken by his mother as she and her children struggle with the new reality of dementia. A poignant portrayal of a plucky woman determined to face her memory’s demise while holding on to life’s connections. Siblings, whose love for each other is intertwined with frustration and resentment, plan for mom’s necessary care and for life once passed. Conversations with My Mother provides a window into the intimate and private moments of each character. Set in Maine, with its startlingly beautiful coastlines, the author creates vivid imagery and engages the reader's sensitivity. Simply, a beautiful read!”

—Maxine Brand, author of The Brand Family Chronicles or OMG They’re Moving Again

Reviews & In the News

Midwest Book Review “Small Press Bookwatch,” February 2025: The General Fiction Shelf: Conversations with My Mother

PR.com, January 19, 2025: Release of New Novel, "Conversations With My Mother, a Novel of Dementia on the Maine Coast," by Ronald-Stéphane Gilbert

Cleveland.com, January 2, 2025: Beachwood author’s heartfelt book tells of cherishing the natural beauty and kindness of his mother as she battled dementia

Cleveland Jewish News, November 5, 2024: ‘Conversations with My Mother’ book release Nov. 10

MEET THE AUTHOR

A retired global communications professional and recipient of an honorable mention in the 2021 Lorian Hemingway Short Fiction Competition, Ronald-Stéphane Gilbert is a native French-speaker who currently resides in Ohio. He is a member of various Alzheimer’s and dementia associations and a participant in the Cleveland Clinic’s landmark Brain and MIND studies. Conversations with My Mother is his first published novel.