In the recent literary exploration of mourning, writers Pol Guasch, Francesc Torralba, and Yiyun Li delve into how grief is represented and understood through various forms of literature, including memoirs and essays. They discuss differing attitudes towards the spiritual dimensions of death, highlighting how literature can serve as a conduit for processing such profound experiences. Common to all three writers is the belief in the necessity of the written word as a healing tool, which not only documents individual stories but also connects the grieving to the universal experience of loss.

The piece takes a personal turn as the author recounts the recent death of a cousin due to a swift cancer diagnosis, using this experience to frame the discussions around mourning. The day of the funeral coincided with the author's engagement with Guasch's autobiographical work, "Relíquia," where the young narrator grapples with the loss of his father to suicide. The poignant connection drawn between the dates emphasizes the author’s sensitivity to coincidences surrounding grief, illustrating how literature can intersect with personal narratives and evoke emotional responses related to loss as well as the passage of time.

This reflection on grief and literature suggests a communal aspect to mourning, where each personal loss can resonate with broader themes found in written works. The juxtaposition of the garden metaphor against the backdrop of mourning signifies how caretaking and nurturing can serve as allegorical tools against the backdrop of profound sorrow, revealing how the process of grieving can be salvaged by acts of creation and care, ultimately making a case for the therapeutic value of literature in navigating such emotional landscapes.