Imagine someone you loved was lying in a coma or was in a permanent vegetative state and that there was no hope of them ever recovering; they would spend the rest of their life unable to move their limbs, go to the toilet unaided or communicate, and either you, or the state, would need to look after them around the clock.

What would you do? Give up hope? Trust that the health authorities could provide the care and support your loved one needed — and that you could afford to pay for that care? Bring them home and look after them yourself? Or go to the courts and seek legal permission to withdraw their treatment so that they could die with dignity?

For Cathy Rentzenbrink and her parents this hypothetical situation became a reality when Cathy’s younger brother was knocked over by a hit-and-run driver while he was walking home late one night in 1990. Matty suffered a serious brain injury and never recovered. He was 16 and just weeks away from finding out his GCSE results, which would put him at the top of his class.

In The Last Act of Love — subtitled The Story of My Brother and His Sister — Cathy looks back on that single shocking event and reflects on how it shaped the rest of her life and the life of the brother she loved so much. She traces the heartache of willing her brother to survive and then realising, years later, that it would have been easier for everyone if he had died.

To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.

An emotional memoir that reinforces the connection between siblings...

Raw honesty

This is the most raw memoir I have ever read and perfectly encapsulates grief, including sibling and anticipatory grief. Cried throughout the whole book but also found solace in her words

I can't give this book a rating - it doesn't seem fair. Would I be rating it for content? (Brave, moving, honest, open, emotional.) Or for writing style? (I prefer a more crafted style.)
It's enough to say that I couldn't put it down and I was incredibly moved by Rentzenbrink's and Matty's story.

An outstandingly beautiful and emotional book, truly heart wrenching in places but perfectly balanced with warmth, humour and love.
I'm more than willing to admit that I cried more than once.
It took less than a day to read the this, I was utterly compelled and wouldn't have put it down if circumstances had allowed.

Such a hard book to give a rating to when it is such a personal and profoundly sad account of a real life event. A fully deserved 5 stars for the sheer bravery of sharing something so personal and painful and opening herself up to the potential for criticism and doing it anyway. Incredible.

Bad stuff happens to good people. It's a fact.

This book tells the story of Cathy Rentzenbrink's brother, who was knocked over by a car on his way home from a night out and remained in a vegetative state for almost a decade. This book is a tough read, yet it is written with warmth and honesty and above all else love.

As a reader, we get to follow the intimate and emotional journey following Matty's accident and the impact predominantly on Cathy as well as her parents. This book is raw and pulls no punches. I do not have any siblings, but this memoir highlights the love and connection in this particular relationship and what happens when it's gone. Unfortunately, love does not always save the day.

Despite the content, this is a beautiful book and one that stays with you. It is a personal reflection of grief and loss and immensely touching.

https://littlewritespace.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-last-act-of-love.html#more