The Unforgettable Journey: Beyond The High Blue Air Memoir

Have you ever felt a love so profound, an ache so intense, that it seemed to defy the boundaries of life and death? Beyond The High Blue Air is a memoir that speaks to the depths of human emotion, the resilience of the human spirit, and the power of love that transcends all limits.

Taryn Brumfitt, the renowned Australian author, takes us on a heartfelt journey in this memoir—her tribute to her mother, Jeanne, who tragically passed away. Beyond The High Blue Air is an exploration of loss, grief, and the moments of healing and transformation that follow.

The memoir opens with a vivid description of Taryn's childhood and her deep connection with her mother. Jeanne, a fiercely independent woman with an untamed spirit, was a constant source of inspiration for Taryn. Their bond was unbreakable, filled with love, support, and unwaveringly encouraging words that would shape Taryn's life forever.

Beyond the High Blue Air: A Memoir

by Lu Spinney(Kindle Edition)

4.8 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	645 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	242 pages

FREE

The narrative unravels further as we delve into Jeanne's struggle with mental illness. With raw honesty, Taryn details the challenges her mother faced, the impact it had on their family, and the toll it took on their relationship. It is an intimate portrayal of the complexities of mental health and the devastating effects it can have on loved ones.

As Taryn recounts Jeanne's illness and her eventual suicide, she invites readers into the darkest corners of her heart. With incredibly fluid prose, she explores her emotions, the questions that haunted her, and the immense guilt she carried. Beyond The High Blue Air is a testament to her courage, vulnerability, and her unwavering commitment to share her story with the world.

But this memoir is not solely about loss. It is also a celebration of life and the power of resilience. Taryn's journey takes an unexpected turn when she embarks on a quest to discover her mother's essence. Through insightful recollections, she unravels the mystery surrounding Jeanne's love for paragliding, an activity that became her sanctuary.

Taryn's determination to understand her mother's passion leads her on an extraordinary adventure. She travels to exotic locations, meets incredible individuals who shared the skies with Jeanne, and immerses herself in the exhilarating world of paragliding. The experiences she encounters along the way evoke a profound sense of connection and healing, allowing her to release the weight of her grief and embrace the freedom that exists beyond pain.

Beyond The High Blue Air is a remarkable memoir that challenges societal norms and explores the importance of embracing our authentic selves. Taryn Brumfitt's journey of self-discovery not only sheds light on the complexities of mental illness but also reminds us of the strength we have within us to overcome adversity.

This memoir is a testament to the power of love, resilience, and the indomitable spirit that resides within us all. Beyond The High Blue Air will touch your heart, inspire your soul, and leave a lasting impact on how you perceive life and the limitless possibilities it offers.

So, buckle up, embark on this unforgettable journey, and discover the transformative power of love, loss, and the resilience that lies beyond the high blue air.

Beyond the High Blue Air: A Memoir

by Lu Spinney(Kindle Edition)

4.8 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	645 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	242 pages

FREE

“Like The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Beyond the High Blue Air is a spare, sharp memoir about the speed with which a comfortable existence can be blighted by grief.” —Bee Wilson, The Sunday Times

Lu Spinney’s memoir Beyond the High Blue Air is at once a portrait of the fearlessness of familial love and the profound dilemma posed by modern medicine. When Spinney’s twenty–nine–year–old son, Miles, flies up on his snowboard, “he knows he is not in control as he is taken by force up the ramp,” writes his mother, “skewing sideways as his board clips the edge and then he is hurtling, spinning up, up into the free blue sky ahead . . .” He lands hard on the ice and falls into a coma.

Thus begins the erratic loss—Miles first in a coma and then trapped in a fluctuating state of minimal consciousness—that unravels over the next five years. Spinney, her husband, and three other children put their lives on hold to tend to Miles at various hospitals and finally in a care home. They hold out hope that he will be returned to them. With blunt precision, Spinney chronicles her family’s intimate experience.

And yet, as personal a book as this is, it offers universal meaning, presenting an eloquent and piercing description of what it feels to witness an intimate become unfamiliar. This is a story about ambiguous loss: the disappearance of someone who is still there. Three quarters of the way through, however, Spinney’s story takes a turn. The family and, to the degree that he can communicate, Miles himself come to view ending his life as the only possible release from the prison of his body and mind. Spinney, cutting her last thread of hope, wishes for her son to die. And yet, even as she allows this difficult revelation to settle, she learns that this is not her decision to make. Because Miles is diagnosed as being in a “minimally conscious state” rather than a “persistent vegetative state,” there is no legal way to bring about his death, a bewildering paradox that Spinney navigates with compassion and wisdom. This profound book encompasses the lyrical revelations of a memoir like Jean–Dominique Bauby’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly as well as the crucial medical and moral insights of a book such as Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal.