Brilliantly original novelist and cultural critic Lynne Tillman became her mother's caregiver, when her mother developed an unusual condition called Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. Instantly, Tillman's independent and spirited mother went from someone she knew to someone else, a woman entirely dependent on her children. With her notoriously exquisite writing style, Tillman unflinchingly describes the unexpected, heartbreaking, and frustrating years of caring for a sick parent. Mothercare is both a cautionary tale and sympathetic guidance for anyone who suddenly becomes a caregiver, responsible for the life of another. This story may be helpful, informative, consoling, or upsetting, but it never fails to underscore how impossible it is to get the job done completely right.