n nOne of Alain Elkann's most intimate books, this is a story told through diary entries that lovingly and demurely investigate his mother's illness and death. From the warning signs of illness to the traumatic experience of the intensive care unit to the closing moments of the funeral, these are memories that emerge as simple and precise, highlighting a son's rebellion and helplessness in the face of his mother's demise. This is a meditation on death and it's ability to still catch us unprepared, leaving behind a void that even time is never be able to fill.n