Linda MacDonald

Linda MacDonald’s creative non-fiction writing explores the multiple dimensions of family. Her First Person Essay "Room to Grow" appeared in The Globe & Mail in October 2019. Her current project, a memoir entitled "All to Pieces and Back Again," examines authentic connection between siblings, and parent and child.

Carving Compassion

It was cantankerous Tony who got me thinking about suicide again—the middle-aged widower played by Ricky Gervais in the Netflix series, “After Life,” struggles to move forward after losing his wife to cancer. When he finally succumbs to peer pressure and goes on a blind date, he’s set up with a contented widow. Rather than commiserate with him, she challenges him on his desperation and desire to just put an end to it all. Suicide is easy, she claims.