Katherine Malmo

Who In This Room is a collection of narrative nonfiction stories written by breast cancer survivor Katherine Malmo. She covers nearly every aspect of her breast cancer experience, from diagnosis to remission. Malmo's goal is to address the emotional experience of breast cancer. Though she reflects on her own story, Malmo tells just two of the stories in first person. Most are in third person, and two are actually in second person. In a note at the beginning of the book, Malmo explains this choice:

"It is written in second person and the use of you gave me much needed distance from the material, allowing me the freedom to escape the story while telling it. It allowed me to pretend everything that was happening to me was happening to someone else." (pg. xiii).

As Malmo continued writing her pieces, she found that she needed less and less distance. The first two stories she wrote are in second person. The next bunch are all in third person. By the end, she was comfortable enough with her writing and experiences to take ownership of them. The last two stories are in first person.

Malmo's stories are heartbreaking and brutally honest. Who In This Room will surely be a comfort to women who feel alone as they go through similar experiences and emotions.… (more)