After You Left

泰勒·费德尔 / 尤采菲Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. · ChinaApr 2022

Word count

1.3K words

Chapters

14

ISBN

9787559653512

Tags

Summary

This book is a memoir written by illustrator Taylor Federer for her mother. When Taylor had just started college, her beloved mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. A year later, her mother passed away. After her mother's death, Taylor lived alongside her grief, putting on a brave face in front of others. It was only ten years later that Taylor decided to open her heart and use words and drawings to depict what it feels like to lose a beloved family member—feelings that are hard to confide in others. The book contains warm memories of Taylor's life with her mother from childhood onward, heartbreaking small details from her mother's cancer diagnosis to her death, and the indescribable grief and deep longing for her mother after losing her. This memoir is emotionally sincere and candid, with a touch of humor, and any reader who has lost a loved one will feel healed by it.

Editor's review

In terms of depth, this book is far more than a 'healing' picture book. It meticulously depicts the seemingly small yet piercing 'afters' of daily life following a mother's death: the empty kitchen, the phone call never made, the disorienting silence of holidays. Federer uses extensive lists, timelines, and fragmented memories to break down abstract 'grief' into countless perceptible fragments. This approach allows readers to glimpse that the essence of mourning is not a linear 'stage' but an ongoing, fluctuating process that permeates the texture of life.

The book's value lies in its 'instrumentality' and 'companionship.' It is like a gentle container that allows readers to place their own stories and emotions within it. For those currently experiencing loss, it offers a sense of being understood; for those who have not yet experienced it, it is a valuable emotional rehearsal and empathy training. Federer's creation itself also confirms the power of 'expression as healing'—transforming unspoken pain into images that can be viewed and touched is itself a process of rebuilding order. This is not merely a book about 'leaving,' but a guide to learning to live with 'absence' and, in the process, rediscovering meaning in life.

Who it's for

A good fit for

• Readers currently experiencing the death of a loved one who need emotional resonance and companionship
• Psychologists, social workers, or general readers interested in death education and grief counseling
• Readers who prefer visual narrative and visual diaries and appreciate sincere, plain expression
• People who wish to understand others' experiences of loss and cultivate deep empathy

Not a good fit for

• Readers seeking intricate plots or strong dramatic conflict
• Readers who feel extremely uncomfortable with or wish to completely avoid topics of death and grief

Reading tips

1. Keep a pen handy to jot down moments that move you or your own memories while reading.
2. There is no need to finish it in one sitting; read in sections according to your emotional rhythm and give yourself space to digest and feel.
3. After reading, try recording one of your emotions in a simple way (such as writing a few sentences or drawing a small picture) as a response.

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

Contents

1. 版权信息
2. 前言
3. 第一章 我的妈妈
4. 第二章 晴天霹雳
5. 第三章 一切为二
6. 第四章 最糟的一天
7. 第五章 安排后事
8. 第六章 死亡马戏团（上）
9. 第七章 死亡马戏团（下）
10. 第八章 新常态
11. 第九章 好的、不好的和那些尴尬的
12. 第十章 没妈的孩子
13. 后话 一堆照片
14. 致谢

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About the author

Taylor Fidel is an author about whom little public information is available; her nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly recorded at present. Judging from the two works included in the collection, After You Left and A Healing Little Book for Mothers and Daughters (3 volumes), her writing focuses mainly on documentary literature and inspirational growth, with themes centering on the loss of loved ones, mother-daughter relationships, and the emotional repair and self-healing that follow. Her prose tends to address loss and farewell from a personal perspective or through close-to-everyday narration, in a gentle and restrained tone that emphasizes emotional companionship and understanding for readers. Although verifiable biographical information about the author remains very scarce, the works themselves show a clear direction: grounded in real experience, they seek expressions of grief and growth that ordinary readers can relate to, and have thus gained some attention in related reading circles.

You Caifei is an author about whom limited public information is available. The library currently holds only one work by this author, the nonfiction book After You Left. Because basic details such as dates of birth and death, nationality, and educational background are not clearly recorded, the present introduction can focus only on this work. Judging from its common classification, After You Left belongs to nonfiction literature, suggesting that the author tends to base her writing on real experiences or actual material rather than fictional imagination. Such writing usually requires the author to remain restrained and honest in narration, using concrete details to present characters' circumstances and emotional changes, so that readers feel the weight of events through plain prose. More public materials are still lacking for a fuller assessment of You Caifei's style and influence; readers who wish to understand her creative profile may begin with After You Left and observe how she handles real subject matter in narration and emotional scale.