Memoir: The Best Day the Worst Day

The Best Day the Worst Day is a memoir by writer Donald Hall, about his marriage to Jane Kenyon, the poet who died of leukemia in 1995. He begins the narrative at the moment of Kenyon's death, and then tells the story of her year-long illness, interspersed with flashbacks to their meeting, courtship, and married life.

I find it difficult to describe the experience of reading this book, one of the best I came across last year. Any list of highlights I've tried to compose only distracts from this harrowing but tender story.

So what you should do is read this excerpt from the book, titled "Eleven Days", at NarrativeMagazine.com. And then read The Best Day the Worst Day itself. Best to let Hall speak for himself.