Review: The Ultimate Tragedy

It’s is Monday morning following Mother’s Day that I am typing this review. I mention this because this book deals with the loss of a child and on this weekend, as we celebrate mothers, this book is especially moving.

The Ultimate Tragedy is a memoir by Doreen Pchajek. Doreen lost her daughter in a car accident and originally wrote this book 5 years after her daughter’s death. She added an update at the end when she released the second edition roughly 10 years later. It was this second edition that I read.

Reviewing a memoir is hard. To criticize any part of it feels like you are criticizing the author’s life. There were parts of this book that were difficult to read, emotionally, but also technically. There were a lot of medical terms that I found difficult to follow.

The story itself was very sad. Losing a family member is hard, losing one in a sudden accident, well I wrote an article on sudden passings and slow deaths. I don’t know which is worse but I do know that to lose your daughter so young in an accident while you were driving the car must be devastating.

Doreen does a good job of conveying the despair and helplessness she felt.

Doreen has started a memorial fund in honour of her daughter. The Stacey Pchajek Memorial Fund provides scholarships to senior 4 grads in Southeast Manitoba, as well as awards to grade 8 grads.

Doreen’s journey has been a difficult one. She’s right – you never “get over it” but I think she’s reached a point where she can fit her grief into the rest of her life without it constantly overwhelming her.

Author Interview with Doreen Pchajek

With us today we have Doreen Pchajek a first-time writer from Ste. Anne, Manitoba. Doreen’s book, Ultimate Tragedy tells the story of her experiences after suffering the devastating loss of her only daughter in a car accident. Besides writing the book, Doreen also established the Stacey Pchajek Memorial Foundation, a registered Canadian Charity which gives scholarships, bursaries & prizes in her daughter’s memory. Thank you for joining us today, Doreen.

What genres and authors do you enjoy reading?

I used to really enjoy reading suspense thrillers and mystery novels. Since the accident though I find it very difficult to read as I have a great deal of difficulty with memory & concentration. There are so many great books out there right now that I’d love to read; if only I could read like I used to! My favorite authors are Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

What genres do you write in? What age groups are your books for?

So far the only book that I have written is non-fiction and it is for age 16 and up.

Tell us a little about your book. Where did you get your inspiration?

I had always enjoyed writing and there were many people who told me that I had a talent for writing. My daughter Stacey told me often, “You should write a book mom.” The possibility of writing a book had always been somewhere in the back of my mind. However I always seemed to be so busy being a wife and mother so it was just something to think about down the road.

When Stacey died at the age of thirteen, our whole family’s lives were thrown into turmoil. After going through six very difficult years it occurred to me that by putting my experiences into a book it could help others who are going through a similar tragedy and at the same time help others to understand what bereaved parents go through.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’ve been kept busy raising money for my daughter’s memorial foundation which is very important to me. However, I am currently contemplating writing another book. I’m just not sure if it will be another non-fiction or something else.

Tell us about your creative process.

Since my book was based on my own actual experiences it didn’t really involve a lot of creativity. Writing non-fiction stories does involve some creativity though as you still have to tell the story in a way that captivates your audience.

Do you outline or just write wherever the story takes you?

Yes, my story was definitely outlined and since I have difficulty with memory I had to rely on help from family members. Together we put everything in point form in chronologic order and I worked from there.

What does your workspace look like?

My workspace is usually quite messy with papers all over the place. Every so often I have to clean it up so I can find things.

Do you have any habits or quirks when you are writing?

As for quirks or odd habits most of the things I like to do while writing are pretty normal. Except that I like to write at night when everyone else is sleeping. Since the accident I don’t sleep well at night. I am usually ready to fall asleep about the time that everyone else is waking up. I think that I kind of like to be alone in my thoughts.

What do you find to be the hardest part of writing a novel? What about the easiest? What’s your favorite part?

Writing Ultimate Tragedy was extremely difficult for me; especially when I was reading Stacey’s hospital chart. The easiest part was knowing that it could help so many other people. My favorite part was seeing the actual finished product.

Thank you for sharing with us today Doreen Pchajek. You can find Doreen’s book on Amazon.