Heartfelt and inspirational A Season of Disruption: A Memoir of Perseverance and Overcoming Obstacles from Jacqueline P Walker achieves a favourable balance between hindsight and the immediacy of conveying just what it’s like to unexpectedly lose a parent. And the sacrifices people make to achieve their goals.

As with all memoirs, it takes a sharp mind to bring the narrator’s experiences to life in a way that disparate readers can relate to it. And Walker does this through a combination of earnest prose and astute observation that conveys her story from both her own and her mother’s unique perspectives.

Memoirs tend to be told by unreliable narrators as memories can often be partial and selective but there’s no feeling of that here. Walker’s intention is to show how close we all are, at any moment in time, to unexpected, monumental and life-altering change and she is determined but understated in her narration. Her prose conveys the tragedy of their family circumstances and the challenges ahead whilst achieving a tone that doesn’t force her account upon her readers.

Walker's memoir isn’t about someone hurtling towards resolution, but about a mother and her children who have delved deep into a well of reserve and found the strength and courage to not only adapt but to grow when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.

With a laudable and powerful element of self-reflection, the lasting message in Walker’s words is that the lingering trauma of tragedy pales in the face of self-determination to succeed.

A warm and inspiring read that is sure to strike a note of accord with its readers A Season Of Disruption is certainly recommended.

A beautiful and inspiring memoir about the power of love, faith, and resilience. I couldn’t put this book down. Excellent writing about the sustaining love of family that helped this family through a season of disruption. We would all love to be this Blessed.