Two dying memoirists wrote bestsellers about their final days. Then their spouses fell in love.

Two memoirists with terminal illnesses wrote best-selling books about their final days. The spouses they left behind began emailing to offer support and advice, and felt a powerful connection.

Love from grief.
(Image credit: iStock)

The literary pairing was inevitable. When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi's memoir of his final years as he faced lung cancer at age 37, was published posthumously, in 2016, to critical acclaim and commercial success. The Bright Hour, Nina Riggs' memoir of her final years as she faced breast cancer at age 39, was published posthumously, in 2017, to critical acclaim and commercial success. The two books were mentioned together in numerous reviews, lists, and conversations.

Perhaps less inevitable was that the late authors' spouses would end up together, too.

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