The Mahogany Pod
a memoir of endings and beginnings
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- £7.99
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
“A work of literature: beautifully written, meticulously structured and heart-rending.” Observer
What if you knew from the beginning how your relationship was going to end? When Jill Hopper first met Arif, they were living in a shared house on the island of Osney in the River Thames. Surrounded by willow trees, birds and reflections, it was an idyllic home. But no sooner had they begun to fall in love than Arif was given the news that he had only a few months to live. Everyone told Jill to walk away, but she was already in too deep.
Years later, Jill rediscovers Arif’s parting gift – an African seedpod – and finally sets out to trace the elusive patterns that shaped their relationship.
The Mahogany Pod is a tender and vital account of what it means to live, and love, fully.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this gorgeous debut, British journalist Hopper looks back on the beauty and turmoil of a whirlwind love affair, and the illness that led to its premature ending. With passion and raw vulnerability, Hopper takes readers through her brief but intense relationship with her first love, Arif, who died of cancer at 25. When, early in their relationship, Arif was diagnosed with high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and told that he'd have "a few months at best" to live, the couple agreed to make the most of their remaining time together—sharing their passions in love letters and relishing quiet moments. As Hopper recalls, "It was as if he was trying to give me a lifetime's worth of pleasure in advance." In heartrending prose, she recounts supporting Arif in his final stretch of life, juxtaposing their sublime days together leading up to his hospital admittance with a deeply affecting portrayal of his physical decline: "I watched him getting weaker day by day, the faith that my love was going to save him beginning to waver." After his death, Hopper struggled to recover from the loss, but eventually married and had a son. While slim, her narrative packs a world of feeling within it, rendering a poignant look at how love can unfold even amid immense loss. Romantics, take note and grab some tissues.
