DEEP WATERS

A marine biologist recounts how her life changed radically after her husband suffered a stroke in this debut memoir.

Based in Juneau, Alaska, Mathews and her field scientist husband, Jim Taggart, enjoyed taking advantage of a landscape that both “challenged and nurtured” them. Besides being keen runners and hikers, they had lived for seven years on a Dutch sailboat before the birth of their son, Glen. At the age of 56, Jim suffered a rare medullary stroke and was medevaced to Seattle for specialist care. The stroke left Jim struggling to swallow and walk. After five weeks in a hospital, including a terrifying setback and grueling rehabilitation, Jim was eager to seize life with both hands. Much of this involved plans to return to boating, but the suggestion was met with skepticism from Mathews given that “vision and neuromuscular issues had kept driving a car out of reach.” As Jim’s confidence and ambition to “accumulate experiences, not things” grew, he proposed an ambitious family sailing expedition to Mexico—a journey that could prove either perilous or the ultimate therapy. Mathews is a sharply descriptive writer capable of capturing the true horror of witnessing a loved one suffer a stroke: “His coughing turned harsh, like a dull ax splitting wood. I hurried to the living room. He lurched up the stairs, arms stuck out as if groping in the dark.” The memoir also offers valuable insights into the rehabilitation process from Jim’s point of view: “Driving in traffic takes so much concentration. And you experience it for what it is: a bunch of two-ton chunks of metal flying along on wheels.” Mathews’ writing is unfalteringly candid, and while documenting the triumphs of her relationship with Jim, before and after his stroke, she does not overlook their difficulties, eloquently referred to as “the straitjackets of each other’s unmet needs.” On rare occasions, the author can be overdescriptive. The lengthy recollection of an incident while on vacation in Costa Rica serves to underline Jim’s tenacity but could easily have been condensed into a few paragraphs. Still, this is an incisive, smartly informative memoir that celebrates the power of the cohesive family unit—its outcome will offer positivity and hope to those facing similar challenges.

A frank, expressive, and ultimately uplifting family account.