Twelve Thousand Days: A memoir of love and loss

by Éilís Ní Dhuibhne

'I caught a glimpse of him, behind the veil. And he knew I'd caught it. There was that understanding between us. We were members of the club of the X-ray eyes, the club of people who can see into the human heart.'

Éilís Ní Dhuibhne's candid and moving memoir tells the story of her thirty-year relationship with the love of her life, internationally renowned folklorist Bo Almvqvist, capturing brilliantly the compromises and adjustments and phases of their relationship. 

Twelve Thousand Days  is a remarkable story about love, grief and time, shot through with wry and sharp observations on Irish life, culture and morality. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Ireland

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2018

About the author

Éilís Ní Dhuibhne is a writer and critic. She was born in Dublin in 1954. She attended University College Dublin, where she studied Pure English, then Folklore. She was awarded the UCD Entrance scholarship for English, and two post graduate scholarships in Folklore. In 1978-9 she studied at the University of Copenhagen, and in 1982 was awarded a PhD from the National University of Ireland. She has worked in the Department of Irish Folklore in UCD, and for many years as a curator in the National Library of Ireland. Also a teacher of Creative Writing, she has been Writer Fellow at Trinity College and is currently Writer Fellow at UCD. She is a member of Aosdána.

Eilis Ni Dhuibhne is also known as Eilis Almquist and Elizabeth O'Hara.

Reviews

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an impressive account of the author's love, of his life and death. It was such a sad read, but the parts in which she celebrates his life are of a rare beauty.
The Irish public health service failed them badly as an independent report later showed. That's very difficult to come to terms with.

[Nicola Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gulped it down in one sitting - if you forgive me the bathroom and cup of tea breaks. A beautifully written account of a relationship, a marriage and a death. It's also an insight into the life and passions of the folklorist, 1970s & 80s Ireland, and the bleaker side of the health system. Ultimately, however, it is about loving and appreciating life, yourself and your partner.
(My only quibble: I would have chosen a different excerpt for the cover.)

[Marie O'Halloran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is beautifully written. Sincere without being overly-sentimental or mawkish. Highly recommended.

[Alva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky to attend a memoir workshop at Write by the Sea, Kilmore Quay in September this year where I met Éilís Ní Dhuibne, the workshop presenter. Through this, I was introduced to her book Twelve Thousand Days. This is a compelling read, so sad in parts but so real and honest and open with detail of a life of love, challenges, fear, acceptance, beauty, nature. With wonderful descriptions of life in Ireland, particularly Dublin, South Dublin, Kerry, Donegal, and Denmark & Sweden, the latter being Bo's home country.
No marriage is without its flaws, via personalities, circumstances, external influences, accidents, mistakes or just plain chance - the way life is. No country is without its flaws & Ireland is certainly no exception.
Éilís depicts all of these flaws as they occurred throughout her life with Bo, but the one thing that stands out throughout this whole beautiful story is love.
This book is a treasure. I haven't yet read a memoir that matches it. It may be a long time before I read one that even comes close.

[anni · Rating 3 out of 5]

sad read of course but very insightful and so nice to read about such interesting people ❤️

[Ronan Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teems with sorrow and fury; Ní Dhuibhne knows how to wield a sentence, and many of them here are weaponised against a system she sees—fairly—as having robbed her of a great love. Back-and-forth structure can feel overly prescriptive at time, but never gets in the way of the tides of emotion.