She’s Still Here

A daughter never makes it home, but her memory lives on in a garden. A son runs away, leaving his mother with the lessons she hadn't been ready to hear. A woman grieves her lost relationship only to begin a new one with herself on the Camino de Santiago. In this collection of nine short stories, Mehrnaz Massoudi tenderly explores the many layers of grief and rage mothers, daughters, and women around the world face throughout their lifetimes, and the healing that can be found in the most sacred of places-within ourselves.

These exquisite short stories take the reader on a rollercoaster ride where the destination is not the happy or sad ending, but the moment the main characters come to terms with their respective realities and traumas, finding places where love and acceptance can flourish, and grief is given space to unfurl.

She's Still Here is an evocative, touching portrayal of the human experience, and its resilience in the face of profound suffering, betrayal, regret, and loss. But it is also a beautifully rendered expression of love in all of its forms, but especially the love we should give ourselves.