Writer Yiyun Li lost both of her sons. When words fell short, she turned to music
Author Yiyun Li discusses her new novel and memoir, which explore the profound grief of losing both of her sons to suicide. She explains how she turned to music as a medium to express emotions that words could not capture.
Why it matters
The piece provides insight into the intersection of personal tragedy, creative expression, and the limitations of language in processing trauma.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline .
Writer Yiyun Li does not talk about "grief" or the "grieving process." To her, those words make it sound that at some point you emerge from grief. Instead, Li prefers to use the word "abyss," which, she says, is where she expects to be for the remainder of her life.
Li's teenage sons both died by suicide six years apart, Vincent in 2017 at age 16, and James in 2024 at age 19. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning 2025 memoir, Things in Nature Merely Grow , chronicled the loss of her sons and her effort to go on.
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