This book was not so much about the author's mother as it was about him. There were some nice thoughts, turns of phrase, and interludes in there. Overall it was reductionist and felt a little pretentious. It was very "I'm not like other authors". Je ne l'aurais pas fini s'il avait été écrit en anglais. Mais comme toute écriture en français, c'est utile de le lire même si je ne l'apprécie pas.