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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
In her memoir Keep the Flowers: Tell the Healing You're Coming Home, Ellie Williams describes being nine years old when menstruation begins, with severe pelvic pain. Yet every medical appointment ends the same way, as doctors review normal test results and send her home without an explanation. The pain follows her through school, interrupts sports, and forces her to manage her exhaustion that classmates never see. Years pass while Williams continues searching for answers that no medical examination seems able to provide. During college, she hears about a disease that mirrors the symptoms she has endured since childhood, giving her the first hint that the condition might have a name. Williams continues pursuing the truth about the illness affecting her body and the future she is trying to build.
Keep the Flowers by Ellie Williams is a really thoughtful memoir with a lot of heart and some genuine heartbreak, sprinkled with life lessons that are touching in their honesty. Williams does a beautiful job of describing her persistence. Her decision to record the fourteen-year path that led to an endometriosis diagnosis demonstrates a desire to help others. For example, Williams explains how pelvic floor therapy sessions address muscle tension created by years of inflammation, offering concrete knowledge about treatment methods. I love that she moved to Scotland, and she is so wonderfully descriptive about her learning curves with things like unfamiliar household systems and transportation. Well written and moving, this memoir will appeal to readers who appreciate the medical journeys and losses faced by everyday people, as well as faith-centered life writing grounded in real experience. Very highly recommended.
