“My Dead Parents,” by Anya Yurchyshyn. New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2018. 338 pp. ISBN: 978-0-553-44704-0 (hardcover), $27.
The memoir “My Dead Parents” is a journey of discovery for a daughter, Anya, who thinks that she knows her late parents. Through old letters, photographs and journals, Anya discovers that her parents were more than the rigid disciplinarians she knew growing up. She learns stories of a forbidden romance, a loving marriage and the loss of a child. Ultimately, “My Dead Parents” helps us see why sometimes, those who love us best hurt us most.
Anya Yurchyshyn’s writing has appeared in Esquire, Granta, N+1, and Noon. She received her MFA from Columbia University.