Yiyun Li’s Journey: Finding Strength in Loss

A Story of Resilience and Growth

Yiyun Li shares a heartfelt story in her new book, Things in Nature Merely Grow. She writes about losing both her children to suicide. This loss is incredibly hard to bear. Yet, Li finds insights through gardening. She learns that things in nature grow until it’s their time to die. Gardeners learn patience and openness. These qualities help writers too.

Li is known for her precise and insightful writing. She brings a unique perspective and a wonderful use of language to her work.

From Science to Writing

Li was born and raised in China. She moved to the United States in 1996. She first studied immunology but then turned to writing. In 2005, she earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Iowa.

Her science background and her father’s work as a nuclear physicist influenced her writing. Her work shows systematic observation and analysis.

Accolades and Achievements

Li’s first book, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, won a major award. In 2010, the New Yorker named her one of the 20 best writers under 40. She also received a MacArthur “genius” grant. Since then, she has won many more awards.

Li’s work often explores tough topics. She draws on her experiences growing up in China and her relationship with her mother.

A Journey Through Depression

Years after moving to the U.S., Li faced a major depressive episode. She was hospitalized after suicide attempts. This led her to write her first memoir, Dear Friend, From My Life I Write to You in Your Life (2017).

In this book, Li explores feeling empty and lost. It offers techniques for living well, even in suffering.

Facing Immense Sorrow

When Li wrote Dear Friend, she hadn’t yet faced her deepest sorrow. Just months after its publication, her elder son, Vincent, died by suicide at 16.

Li responded by writing a novel, Where Reasons End (2019). This novel is a conversation between a mother and her son. It is written with a unique tone, both sharp and gentle.

Six years later, her second son, James, also died by suicide at 19. Again, Li turned to reading and writing. This time, she wrote Things in Nature Merely Grow.

A Unique and Insightful Writer

Things in Nature Merely Grow is a tough but rewarding read. It’s a thoughtful account of a family tragedy. Li writes with clarity and precision. Her detachment reminds us of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking.

Li is a special kind of writer. She can observe and examine her experiences, even in great loss. This makes her book important for understanding mourning.

Guidance for Mourning

Li’s book offers insights on understanding and dealing with loss. She writes, “If an abyss is where I shall be for the rest of my life, the abyss is my habitat. One should not waste energy fighting one’s habitat.”

The book also gives advice on supporting those who are grieving. Li suggests practical ways to help, like bringing flowers in a vase and talking about the person they lost.

Wisdom in Words

Things in Nature Merely Grow is both an essay and a memoir. It explores the meaning of death, suicide, and the loss of a child. It talks about the complexities of parenting and the joys of loving.

The book is wise. It draws on literature, philosophy, and math. It doesn’t promise easy answers but offers hope for emotional understanding.