When someone you love is in pain—but can’t say the words out loud—what can you do? Kate speaks with beloved Canadian novelist Miriam Toews (All My Puny Sorrows, Women Talking, A Truce That Is Not Peace) about the silences that shape us: the kind that settle into families, into churches, into whole communities where mental illness is unnamed and suffering goes unspoken.

Together, they talk about the long shadow of religious shame, the courage it takes to tell the truth, and what it means to stay present with people we can’t fix. This conversation is tender, fierce, and unflinchingly honest.

This episode includes discussion of suicide at the beginning and end of the episode. If you're struggling, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

SHOW NOTES:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call or text 988 if you or someone you love is struggling. You are not alone.


A Truce That Is Not Peace by Miriam Toews — her newest memoir and the heart of this conversation


All My Puny Sorrows, Fight Night, Women Talking — beloved novels by Miriam Toews


Join Kate on Substack — katebowler.substack.com for blessings, essays, and kind conversation

When someone you love is in pain&mdash;but can&rsquo;t say the words out loud&mdash;what can you do? Kate speaks with beloved Canadian novelist Miriam Toews (All My Puny Sorrows, Women Talking, A Truce That Is Not Peace) about the silences that shape us: the kind that settle into families, into churches, into whole communities where mental illness is unnamed and suffering goes unspoken.
Together, they talk about the long shadow of religious shame, the courage it takes to tell the truth, and what it means to stay present with people we can&rsquo;t fix. This conversation is tender, fierce, and unflinchingly honest.
This episode includes discussion of suicide at the beginning and end of the episode. If you're struggling, you can call or text 988 for the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline.
<hr>
SHOW NOTES:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://988lifeline.org">988 Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline</a> &mdash; <a data-start="756" data-end="800">Call or text 988</a> if you or someone you love is struggling. You are not alone.</li>
<li data-start="312" data-end="435">
<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-truce-that-is-not-peace-miriam-toews/01b05fd3265f2567?ean=9781639734740&amp;next=t">A Truce That Is Not Peace</a> by Miriam Toews &mdash; her newest memoir and the heart of this conversation
</li>
<li data-start="436" data-end="543">
<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/all-my-puny-sorrows-miriam-toews/7add8ff817440c9f?ean=9781635574975&amp;next=t">All My Puny Sorrows</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/fight-night-miriam-toews/39b3668fe3e4fbe8?ean=9781635579789&amp;next=t">Fight Night</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/women-talking-miriam-toews/1dafe187af70fdf6?ean=9781635574340&amp;next=t">Women Talking</a> &mdash; beloved novels by Miriam Toews
</li>
<li data-start="864" data-end="995">
Join Kate on Substack &mdash; <a href="https://katebowler.substack.com/" data-start="890" data-end="948">katebowler.substack.com</a> for blessings, essays, and kind conversation
</li>
</ul>

Are you living your best life now? Not always? This is a podcast for you. Duke Professor Kate Bowler is an expert in the stories we tell about success and failure, suffering and happiness. She had Stage IV cancer. Then she didn’t. And since then, all she wants to do is talk to funny and wise people about how to live with the knowledge that, well, everything happens.  Find her online at @katecbowler.

Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media https://lemonadamedia.com/

Are you living your best life now? Not always? This is a podcast for you. Duke Professor Kate Bowler is an expert in the stories we tell about success and failure, suffering and happiness. She had Stage IV cancer. Then she didn’t. And since then, all she wants to do is talk to funny and wise people about how to live with the knowledge that, well, everything happens.  Find her online at @katecbowler.
Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media <a href="https://lemonadamedia.com/" data-stringify-link="https://lemonadamedia.com/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">https://lemonadamedia.com/</a>

Honest conversation about life's less-shiny moments.

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