Holding Silvan - by Monica Wesolowska (Paperback)

About the Book

In the opening of "Holding Silvan: A Brief Life, " Monica Wesolowska gives birth to her first child, a healthy-seeming boy who is taken from her arms for "observation" when he won't stop crying. Within days, Monica and her husband have been given the grimmest of prognoses for Silvan, and they must make a choice about his life. The story that follows is not a story of typical maternal heroism. There is no medical miracle here. Instead, we find the strangest of hopes. Certain of her choice, Monica must still ask herself at every step if she is loving Silvan as well as a mother can. The result is a page-turning testimony to the power of love. By raising ethical questions about how a death can be good in the age of modern medicine, Holding Silvan becomes a joyous paean to what makes life itself good. Whether you have suffered profound loss or not, this book will change your life.

From the Back Cover

Monica Wesolowska has published both fiction and memoir in numerous literary journals and anthologies including Best New American Voices 2000, The Carolina Quarterly, Quarter After Eight, Literary Mama, and the New York Times Bestseller My Little Red Book. A graduate of Reed College and a recipient of a fellowship from the Fine Arts Works Center in Provincetown, she has taught writing at UC Berkeley Extension for a decade. She lives with her family in Berkeley, California.

Review Quotes

"This book clearly deals with a dark, difficult, and important subject. I can't imagine anyone better equipped to do full justice to such a profound human experience." -- Michael Cunningham, author of "By Nightfall" and "The Hours"

"We have never needed this book more." -- Erica Jong, author of "Fear of Flying"

"I was swept away by this book. Heartfelt, heartbreaking and brave, it takes us on a fascinating ethical journey in prose that shines with Wesolowska's love for her son. I feel fortunate for the experience, as if I have held Silvan myself. I'll never forget it." -- Julia Scheeres, author of "Jesus Land" and "A Thousand Lives"

"A tender, poignant and courageous narrative - insightful and beautifully written." -- Abraham Verghese, author of "Cutting for Stone"

"When I picked up this book for the first time, my heart sank. I wondered if I could even bear to read such a sad story. And yet, within moments, I couldn't put it down. I read long into the night, unable to leave the story until I reached its at once achingly tragic and profoundly life-affirming end. That the story of the death of a child is, in fact, life-affirming is a tribute to Monica Wesolowska's graceful prose, her unflinching eye, and most of all her indomitable spirit. This book taught me more about a mother's love than anything I have ever read before or since." -- Ayelet Waldman, author of "Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace"

"When someone writes about grief they also write about courage, since they survived to tell the story. The beauty and emotional integrity of Holding Silvan strikes me to the core. This book is brilliant." -- Lidia Yuknavitch, author of "The Chronology of Water"



This book clearly deals with a dark, difficult, and important subject. I can't imagine anyone better equipped to do full justice to such a profound human experience. - Michael Cunningham, Author of By Nightfall and The Hours

We have never needed this book more. -Erica Jong, Author of Fear of Flying

I was swept away by this book. Heartfelt, heartbreaking and brave, it takes us on a fascinating ethical journey in prose that shines with Wesolowska's love for her son. I feel fortunate for the experience, as if I have held Silvan myself. I'll never forget it.- Julia Scheeres, Author of Jesus Land and A Thousand Lives

A tender, poignant and courageous narrative - insightful and beautifully written. - Abraham Verghese, Author of Cutting for Stone

When I picked up this book for the first time, my heart sank. I wondered if I could even bear to read such a sad story. And yet, within moments, I couldn't put it down. I read long into the night, unable to leave the story until I reached its at once achingly tragic and profoundly life-affirming end. That the story of the death of a child is, in fact, life-affirming is a tribute to Monica Wesolowska's graceful prose, her unflinching eye, and most of all her indomitable spirit. This book taught me more about a mother's love than anything I have ever read before or since. - Ayelet Waldman, Author of Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace

When someone writes about grief they also write about courage, since they survived to tell the story. The beauty and emotional integrity of Holding Silvan strikes me to the core. This book is brilliant. - Lidia Yuknavitch, Author of The Chronology of Water

About the Author

Monica Wesolowska has published both fiction and memoir in numerous literary journals and anthologies including "Best New American Voices 2000, The Carolina Quarterly, Quarter After Eight, Literary Mama, " and the "New York Times" bestseller "My Little Red Book."