Yiyun Li's Where Reasons End

I gave some friends copies of Yiyun Li's Where Reasons End, a novel in which the author reimagines a conversation with her 16-year old son who had committed suicide. I warned them that it could be a painful book to read, but the language is beautiful. I only finished it two days ago. 

I love the mother-son conversation that happens in this page. 

Yes, I said, but poems and stories are tying to speak what can't be spoken. 

You always say words fall short, he said. 

Words fall short, yes, but sometimes their shadows can reach the unspeakable. 

Don't I sometimes imagine conversations with my department loved ones, too? These internal monologues dialogues happen randomly, and I welcome these quiet moments. People we love and remember seem to hover over us years after they have passed on. Their presence in our memories exist like photo filters of grief and longing. Then, we are able to see things with a bit more clarity.