Mother lives in California and is terminally ill. After many different treatments, she decides to pursue a “miracle cure” in Germany. Having advocated for alternative medicine for years, she is convinced that this will save her, and in doing so she will become the face of revolutionary medicine. So she leaves her friends and children behind to head to Munich. But once she arrives and checks into the facility, her experience is not at all what she anticipated. The Healing Circle by Coco Picard follows one woman’s journey through her final days, while readers get the flashbacks from her subconsciousness.

Readers meet Mother while she is already in the facility for her treatment. With her, we encounter questionable doctors and the nurses who care for her. We also meet her friends and support group, who share her interest in alternative medicine. Her children, Diz, George, and Bunny, come in as well. Even so, the story is from Mother’s point of view, so readers get interesting insight as to how Mother views these people, or at least how she perceives her relationships with them. These moments especially shine during confrontations regarding her “miracle cure”. Readers are pulled to her children’s side as they (and her oncologist) plead with her to spend the rest of the time she has nearby.

The Healing Circle is quite a short read with short chapters. Mother’s consciousness is often in question – at times by Mother herself. The story does not unfold in sequential order; and with each flashback, there is no context to accompany the memory. But I believe Picard did this intentionally. A dying person’s narrative is often unreliable and sporadic – which is similar to how readers learn about Mother’s experiences in her family. Nevertheless, somehow Picard developed a tragic backstory and detailed familial relationships enough that readers understand the current dynamic – one in which her children are upset with her for spending their inheritance on this last-ditch effort without granting them the opportunity to say goodbye. 

Overall, The Healing Circle had some eerie vibes. I couldn’t help but get a sense of “Midsommar” sans violence. At times I thought that Mother had joined a cult – she seemed detached from reality and wouldn’t listen to any warnings about her plans. But I did enjoy Picard’s writing style and talent for sharing a story with which readers will empathize. This book is unconventional but I wouldn’t advise against reading it – you just have to be open-minded about the story’s delivery. 

The Healing Circle is available now.