Book group: Mother, by Nicholas Royle

You could do a lot worse than have your book recommended by one of Britain’s greatest living authors.

Hilary Mantel calls Nicholas Royle’s book Mother, ‘a moving and beautifully achieved memoir, and a testament to the writer’s skill and generosity of spirit.’

But what did our readers think? 

Something precious 

‘Mother leaves the reader with a feeling of intimacy,’ says Jessie Coupe, in our Publishing team.

‘It’s as though you’ve stumbled across a private letter, not meant to be shared. As intimate as a diary, you’re privy to cherished memories, which the author turns over like something precious in his hands. 

‘Royle’s reflections of his family life are shot through with humour and pain. Alzheimer’s takes his mother from him, but he focuses on all that she’s given him.’ 

A reader says, ‘Mother is peppered with ditties and poems, illuminating a mother and son’s shared love of reading. 

‘The author’s wordplay and delight in her favourite phrases and their meaning reflects how reading tied them together throughout their lives.’ 

Cherished and valued 

Made up of short chapters that don’t run chronologically, the book shares how Nicholas’s mother’s speech begins to falter with the advance of dementia. 

‘He knows her as witty, strongminded, conversing with ease,’ says one reader. ‘So her struggle to finish sentences and wandering thoughts feels particularly cruel.’ 

Another pivotal moment is when the author’s mother fails to recognise him, making him question his own identity. After her death, Nicholas dreams about her as if she’s ‘quite recovered from her Alzheimer’s’. 

A reader responds, ‘The writer marvels that these dreams can bring an enduring joy as he remembers her, even if only for a few seconds. Remembering in this way is something to be cherished and valued.’ 

Mother: A memoir by Nicholas Royle (Myriad 2020), 224 pages, £8.99, ISBN: 9781912408573.

Get 30% off, with free UK postage and packing, when you order this from the publisher using the code ASM30.