The Iceberg: A Memoir

By Marion Coutts

In 2008 the art critic Tom Lubbock was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The tumor was located in the area controlling speech and language, and would eventually rob him of the ability to speak. He died early in 2011. Marion Coutts was his wife. In short bursts of beautiful, textured prose, Coutts describes the 18 months leading up to her partner's death. This book is an account of a family unit, man, woman, young child, under assault, and how the three of them fought to keep it intact. Written with extraordinary narrative force and power, The Iceberg is almost shocking in its rawness. It charts the deterioration of Tom's speech even as it records the developing language of his child. Fury, selfishness, grief, indignity, and impotence are all examined and brought to light. Yet out of this comes a rare story about belonging, an "adventure of being and dying." This book is a celebration of each other, friends, family, art, work, love, and language.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Atlantic Books
• Release date: Jan 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781782393511

Reviews for The Iceberg

[oldblack-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am glad I read this book. I can't really say I 'enjoyed' it - how can you enjoy a book about a man dying before his time? However, I appreciated it in many ways. I felt it to be realistic - not excessively sanitised to present the author or her child as angels, but more a 'warts and all' kind of memoir. As someone who has a cancer diagnosis himself, I also saw this book as a kind of self-help manual; a guide to the process of dying. It's prompted me to start looking for a good hospice around where I live and to start thinking about what I would want my last days/weeks/months to be like. I think that's good.

[arubabookwoman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I seem to have read a lot of memoirs this year, and I must say this one is a bit different. Marion Coutts is an artist who was married to art critic and writer Tom Lubbock when he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. This memoir is a chronicle of Tom's slow decline, death, and the aftermath for Marion. However, the focus is not on the physical facts, or medical details of his illness. In fact, it could be said that the focus is really not on Tom's illness, though there are occasional glimpses of the various treatments Tom undergoes. Rather for the most part, the focus is on Marion's state of mind--what is going on in her heart and soul as the Tom she knew and loves slowly disappears.Marion writes in a very literary, stream of consciousness and surreal style. Some readers felt this memoir was self-absorbed. It was difficult to read, but I liked it.Recommended3 stars(I recommend Tom Lubbock's art books if you are interested in art. He also wrote a memoir of his illness which I might read. It's called Until Further Notice I Am Alive

[alexrichman_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bleak and inspiring at the same time, Coutts's memoir gives me hope that when the worst happens, I will get through it. A romantic elegy, or a steely-eyed act of catharsis? Both? Totally honest. Honestly excellent.