An Encyclopedia of Bending Time - by Kristin Keane (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

When Kristin Keane lost her mother, she was devastated by the thought of never spending time with her again. She found herself turning to narratives about alternate universes and time travel-everything from quantum physics to Quantum Leap-in search of ways to reconnect, to bring back what was lost, to conjure up a world in which her mother still existed.

This formally inventive memoir, written in the style of an encyclopedia, is the author's attempt to both remember her mother and map her own grief. Keane puts thinkers like Einstein and Barthes in conversation with pop culture touchstones like Interstellar and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to explore what it means to lose someone, and what remains of a person-and your relationship with them-after they're gone.

Review Quotes

"An Encyclopedia of Bending Time is both a beautiful catalog of and a thorough investigation into deep grief. Full of '80s TV shows, octopuses, tarot cards, looking glasses and alter egos, Keane's longing for one more moment with her mother takes us through physics, psychoanalysis, magic, and the home improvement store, looking for a way to wrench time's one way arrow back upon itself. Her grief feels infinite, and yet, like quiet seconds between numbers on a clock, each entry in Keane's Encyclopedia provides moments to breathe and possibilities for redesigning the narrative of her grieving. Her litany is a smart, rich, and incisive dive into the nature of the space and time left behind when those we love the most are no longer here, and her attempts to reach across that space become an unforgettable exploration of love and loss." -Chelsea Biondolillo, author of The Skinned Bird

"An Encyclopedia of Bending Time is a mind-expanding journey into the heart of loss. In elegiac prose laced with insights from science, philosophy, and pop culture, Kristin Keane shows how grief mangles our sense of where we are in space and time. The entries in this book form an ingenious classification system for memories and (re)connections, hopes and longings. It is a beautifully written testament to the world-shaping power of motherlove and a uniquely moving view of the often heartbreaking condition of being somebody's child." -Nina Renata Aron, author of Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls

"Kristin Keane's Encyclopedia of Bending Time is an intimate, surprising portrayal of the grief stemming from the death of her beloved mother. Recognizing the necessity of a form to lend structure to the enormity and particularities of her loss, Keane alphabetizes an astonishing range of entries-memories, theories, regrets, TV shows-ordering that which exceeds and resists chronological time. This book will stimulate your mind and break your heart." -Heather Christle, author of The Crying Book