'Pretty painful': Fiction writer's new book examines her family's tragedies, grief
Author Donna Morrissey explores her family's history of grief and tragedy in her new memoir, 'Tell It to the Water.' The book details the experiences of her siblings and father following the loss of her mother and brother, marking a shift from her usual fictional writing.
Why it matters
The memoir provides a personal look at how families process collective trauma and the emotional toll of documenting real-life tragedy.
Growing up in Newfoundland, Morrissey and her sisters spent a lot of time with her mother inside the home, while her brothers did outdoorsy things with their father. Even as adults, this dynamic continued when the family spent time together.
As her brothers told stories about their late father, she realized there was a side to him that she didn't know.
Out of that evening of revelry comes Morrissey's newest book, Tell It to the Water: Five Siblings Tell of Their Father's Grief and His Struggle Back to Hope.
While the book is centred on Morrissey's father's grief over the death of his wife from cancer, other tragic elements figure prominently. These include the death of Morrissey's brother, Ford, in a workplace accident around 40 years ago.
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