In Memorial Drive, Tretheway lays bare the loss of her mother, not just on the day she was murdered, but in the years and struggles that plagued them before that fateful June day. She is extacting and relentless in her telling, leaving no detail unturned or undigested, reminding readers that however difficult it is for them to read, it was harder for her to write. Listening to the audiobook version of this text, I was especially struck by the strong and even way Tretheway relayed her mother's last phonecalls with her stepfather, a feat I don't think many of us could do, even in the sacred act of bearing witness to our mother's end.