Beautiful Affliction

“In her breathtaking memoir, Beautiful Affliction, Lene Fogelberg elegantly unites the savagery and raw beauty of the natural world with the wisdom and poignant insight of a young wife and mother for whom each moment, whether or not she realizes it, may be her last. Exquisite imagery and poetic prose pulse through this powerful, emotionally gripping story. With Beautiful Affliction, Lene Fogelberg gives us a gorgeously written story to savor and share, while adding her shimmering, deeply intelligent voice to the literary pantheon.” —Terri Giuliano Long, author of USA Today bestseller In Leah's Wake

“Lene Fogelberg’s memoir of living with an undiagnosed malfunctioning heart since childhood is a testament to the power of love. She allows us, the lucky reader, access to her innermost fears and guilts, offering up her story with such beautiful prose that one is enticed to linger over each word.” —Rossandra White, award-winning author of Loveyoubye

“Gripping, powerful, touching, beautiful. A memoir about a woman who fights to remain alive because of her daughters and her husband. A story everyone can relate to and will want to read to the inspiring end.” —Mette Ivie Harrison, author of Ironmom and New York Times Notable Book, The Bishop's Wife

“Brilliantly paced, weaving glimpses of the author's past into an ever-tightening noose that engulfs Lene and her young family in adulthood, this memoir left me as breathless as if I'd read a thriller about an unstoppable killer circling its victim. Beautiful Affliction grips the reader and won’t let go until the very last page.” —Rita M. Gardner, author of the award-winning memoir The Coconut Latitudes

“Beautiful Affliction is an important and beautiful book about the ways in which our health impacts our lives, and the courage, strength, and healing that can result with persistence. A wonderfully honest and sincere memoir.” —Laura Pritchett, author of Stars Go Blue and winner of the PEN USA Award

“Heart-rending and suspense-filled, Fogelberg’s Beautiful Affliction is a graceful meditation on love, marriage, motherhood, and the quotidian precious moments that make a life with young children. Fogelberg’s miraculous story is a gift to readers, both for its exquisite prose and for its humble reminder: Life is short; love deeply.” —Laura Nicole Diamond, author of Shelter Us

“Lene Fogelberg’s story is breathtaking in all the right ways―delicately and skillfully told―and a powerful reminder that life is fragile and can only be lived one breath at a time.” —Carol Lynn Pearson, bestselling author, poet, and playwright

“Lene Fogelberg's memoir will have even the most doubtful believing in miracles. Honest, unapologetic, inspiring, Beautiful Affliction is ultimately a testament to the sustaining power of love.” —Ashley Warner, author of the award-winning memoir The Year After

“Beautiful Affliction is a deeply moving and important memoir about a young woman fighting for her life against all odds. It’s a suspenseful page-turner and also the work of a poet. Fogelberg's physical heart is shutting down, even as her emotional heart is filled to bursting with love―for her husband and two little girls, for her whole world that may vanish in an instant. Her breathtaking odyssey will remind the reader of the beauty, fragility, and ephemerality of life. I absolutely love this book. It was an inspiration to read, and it will stay with me for a long time..”
—Alice Eve Cohen, award-winning author of The Year My Mother Came Back and What I Thought I Knew