A Silent Tsunami - Swimming Against the Tide of my Mother's Dementia - WINNER of the Rubery Book Award for Non-Fiction 2025

A Silent Tsunami is a unique combination of memoir and medicine – Rowan forensically examines the development of her mother’s illness and explores dementia in a frank but illuminating, lyrical and moving way. Anthea Rowan writes about her mother’s struggles of living with Dementia, while interpreting the science that surrounds this devestating illness. Grounded in personal observation, she casts an unflinching eye on the realities of living with a mother who has forgotten her daughter and a determination that her children will not face the same. There is hope here, too. As a portrayal of the relationships we share with our mothers, an examinaion of their influences on us, as well as asking questions about how illness impacts lives, A Silent Tsunami is a powerful story of family, life, love and loss.