Of Time and Memory

Let us hope that we are all preceded in this world by a love story, writes Don J. Snyder near the beginning of this powerful book. In tracing the love story that preceded his own life, Snyder creates an unforgettable biography of a woman he never knew: his mother. The death of Snyder's 19-year-old mother only two weeks after his birth was such a painful experience for his father and grandparents that they rarely spoke of her as he grew up. But as his father begins to fail in health and memory, Snyder feels compelled to give him a gift: the unremembered romance between a skinny soldier and the prettiest girl in town. By retracing the steps of her youth, Snyder slowly unveils the love story between his mother and father--as well as the stunning secret that made her death so unbearable. Brian Keeler's moving narration gradually reveals the depth and dimensions that love can take.