The Way Through the Woods: Of Mushrooms and Mourning by Long Litt Woon is a memoir about bereavement and foraging.

When Long Litt Woon's husband dies unexpectedly, she finds herself adrift. Doubly so, as she is a Malaysian living in his home-country, Norway. Bit by bit, she is drawn to mushroom hunting, and her quest for mushrooms sets her on a new path.

The dual narratives tell of the mushroom world and of Long's grief. While the book goes some way to show how the smallest detail can spark a memory, the strands have limited success melding together. They are even presented in different formats: the ebook switches from standard black text for foraging to a near-illegible grey for grief.

A number of publications have been released this year on the subject of mycology. Fortunately, the world of fungi is so wide-ranging, there is little overlap. Long's book approaches the subject from the point of view of a forager, including warnings of poisonous varieties, tasting notes and recipes for those species that are edible, and the cultural differences in our relationship with mushrooms.

I came for the mushrooms, but was more engaged by the author's writing on her loss.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribe UK for the ARC.

To be honest I was kind of confused at first when it was talking about mushrooms but as the story unfolds it makes more sense.
The book deals with the topic of loss, particularly the loss of a husband to a wife. She then finds herself a new hobby which involves mushrooms and can I say that the descriptive language in this book is over and above what I was expecting. Its educational this way too. I would recommend reading this book with its highs and lows, it's an experience I enjoyed.

A book about the authors dealing with the loss of her husband. The steps she takes to get herself out of the house her new hobby of mushroom hunting.Shebis funny honest open really enjoyed her adventures #netgalley#scribeuk

The description of this book intrigued me greatly. It was, for me, rather a mixed bag. The stuff about mushroom hunting was fascinating. I learned a lot. Mainly that nobody should let me out with a basket looking for mushrooms because I will be the first person to be poisoned. I was particularly interested in the variations and constant movement in cataloguing what's good and bad, edible and toxic when you think it should be straightforward. I also found the chapters about smells fascinating. The sections about grieving were strange because they were just small windows into what happened and broke up the flow of what would otherwise be a field guide. I didn't want to be a grief tourist, but I felt that there should have been more harmony between the two parts of the book so it was a smoother, less jarring reading experience.

Long Litt Woon loses her husband unexpectedly and her life comes completely apart. She is devastated and rather than medicate her pain away, vows to fight through it as a tribute to her husband. Her turning point comes when she enrolls in a class about mushrooms and mushroom harvesting. Being with a group of diverse individuals, all set on learning about mushroom foraging and the natural world, eases some of Long Witt Loon’s pain. Being outside in the fresh air. seeing the cycle of all living things, from birth to death comforts and grounds her in a way she never expected and allows her to come to terms with her loss. This memoir is a beautiful story of grief, acceptance and hope

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