THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY, LIFE-AFFIRMING MEMOIR YOU WILL EVER READ ABOUT THE POWER OF LOVE.
Did I Ever Tell You? reads like a novel but is an unforgettable true story.
Genevieve (Gwen) Kingston was just eleven years old when her mother passed away, leaving behind a chest filled with gifts and letters to celebrate the milestones of Gwen’s life and each of her birthdays until age thirty.
When Did I Ever Tell You? opens, just three packages remain: engagement, marriage, and first baby. Tracing Gwen’s coming-of-age, the book reveals a treasure hunt, with each gift and letter unveiling more about her mother, her family, and—ultimately—herself.
Like Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner and The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, Did I Ever Tell You? is a riveting book filled with unexpected twists and powerful life lessons. Through her mother’s fierce and courageous love, Gwen was granted the tools not only to move through grief but to cherish life.
For as her mother says in one of her letters: “love is stronger than death.”
“Kingston's beautifully written debut memoir is both heartrending and hard to put down. Her mother's gifts and words of love reached into Kingston's future life like ‘a trail of breadcrumbs,’ providing direction, affirmation, and affection and proving that a mother’s love is ‘stronger than death.’ Kingston’s generous telling of her youth and loss is unforgettable and profound.” —Booklist (starred)
“[A] wrenching memoir.” —Kim Hubbard, The New York Times Book Review
“As the shape of her grief changes with age, Kingston teaches us something essential about how to collect, hold, and savor memories of loved ones over a lifetime. A heart-tugging memoir about the many faces of loss.” —Kirkus
“In her debut memoir, UC Berkeley alum Genevieve Kingston expands on her Modern Love essay about a series of gifts that her late mother left behind in anticipation of birthdays and milestones that she’d never witness.” —San Francisco Chronicle
