A Caregiving Journey Without a Map

Abstract

This review is a discussion of Deborah J. Cohan’s book, Welcome to Wherever We Are. The stories presented within may be unforunately familiar to some readers, making this book tough to wade through—not because of the writing, but because of the topic and the precision with which Cohan crafts the lived experiences of abuse throughout her life. She is upfront about this reality, noting that this book is about what it means to caregive for an abuser over the course of her life and most intensely for the eight years at the end of her father’s life. Rightfully, and true to ambiguity, she elaborates throughout the book on the delicate balance of trying to love her father at the same time she is trying to process the abuse and her feelings toward him.