Tregua, que no paz

“Why do you write?” It seems like a simple question, but for Miriam Toews it means stumbling upon her complex family history: the grief that followed her sister’s suicide, the guilt, the silence, and the helplessness that lingered. What begins as a question about writing soon unfolds into other, much more radical questions: What makes life so irresistible and unbearable at the same time? How does one survive life without losing humor, tenderness, and joy? Toews discovers that, for years, she has maintained an intimate correspondence with her sister: an inner conversation that attempts to fill a void she barely understands. As she writes, we come to understand that answering “why I write” is as impossible as deciding whether life should be lived as a comedy or a tragedy.