ONE RIPPLE AT A TIME

A moving debut memoir about a mother’s loss.

In June 1972, Jensen, her husband, Oskar, and their children, Brian and Erika, traveled to Europe for a vacation. While in Innsbruck, Austria, the children skipped stones along the Inn River. As Jensen watched, she noticed with alarm that the water was rapidly rising around Brian and Erika. Oskar saved Erika, but Brian was swept away in the surging waters and presumed dead. Jensen returned to Oregon determined to follow her son’s joyous approach to living. Oskar, however, full of guilt and sorrow, withdrew and gradually descended into alcoholism. Jensen’s narrative then moves back in time prior to the trip and describes a family where “each person belonged, found their path, and thrived.” The contrast between their lives before and after the accident is striking. The author also poignantly limns the connection between Jensen and Oskar that endured even after the couple eventually divorced. While Jensen worked to rebuild her life, thoughts of Brian called her back to Austria, where a rafting trip along the Inn River gave her some solace. Jensen is a gifted storyteller whose writing style is confident and wise, especially when describing the lessons she learned while grieving her son: “Women have traditionally been expected to ‘grin and bear it,’ an attitude I took literally from my mother. This meant some pieces of advice I gave Erika were, in retrospect, not helpful.” Several elements of the narrative timeline are unclear, however. Still, Jensen’s nuanced portrait of grief will resonate with readers who’ve experienced the loss of a loved one.

A ruminative exploration of the grieving process.