What We Carry

Praise

“This memoir is more than the sum of its parts. . . . [It] becomes a larger meditation on motherhood, daughterhood and feminism—claiming oneself above all, and the moral struggle involved in doing so. . . . In exquisitely precise prose, Lang makes an argument that honesty is what’s truly empowering.”—Mary Beth Keane, The New York Times Book Review

“A book with such a brave message.”—The Observer

“What We Carry is an exquisite exploration of the boundlessness and limitations of love that makes us examine the unknowability of who we are and the strength of our bonds with those who shape us. This story is so elegantly told, with such rawness and compassion, that I fell madly in love with Maya Shanbhag Lang and her complicated, unforgettable mother and could not put this book down.”—Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

“Nothing short of radical.”—Los Angeles Review of Books

“A dazzling, courageous memoir about the weight we carry as women, daughters, and mothers—and what happens when we let go—What We Carry is a love letter to everyone who has swum through turbulent water before reaching the shores of selfhood.”—Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists
 
“Maya Shanbhag Lang thought she knew her capable physician-mother, but when Alzheimer’s hit her mother early, Lang found herself adrift in a sea of unwelcome truths and ambiguous loss. Anyone facing the ordeal of caregiving, with all its love, loss, and unexpected gifts, will be inspired by this searing and extraordinary memoir.”—Katy Butler, New York Times bestselling author of Knocking on Heaven’s Door
 
“What We Carry is a wise, tender, and unswervingly honest memoir that reads like a mystery. With emotional precision, Maya Shanbhag Lang investigates the many ways we participate in the often-painful mythology of family. Just as thrillingly, Lang’s ultimate revelation is a hopeful one, reminding us that we are stronger than we think.”—Christopher Castellani, author of Leading Men
 
“A profoundly moving memoir about secrets and trauma . . . In exquisite prose, Maya Shanbhag Lang writes about her extraordinary mother and the cruel circumstances that complicate their relationship. At its heart, What We Carry is about one of the greatest gifts any parent can give a child: the power to save yourself.”—Will Schwalbe, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Your Life Book Club
 
“How do we really know the ones we love? Lang thought she knew her Indian immigrant mother through her stories until profound truths and unsettling secrets began to emerge, giving Lang an opportunity to come to terms with the ties that bound them. Truly, this is a gorgeous memoir.”—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You