Upon her mother's death from Alzheimer's, Annie Ernaux tries to recapture the life of her mother, "the real woman, the one who existed independently from me, born on the outskirts of a small Normandy town." In sparse but eloquent prose, Ernaux explores the mother-daughter bond, the alienating worlds that threaten to disrupt it, and the inescapable truth that we must lose the ones we love. Featured in this impressive work from one of France's most important contemporary literary voices is a reading group guide as well as an original author interview.