Skip to Main Content

Did I Ever Tell You?

A Memoir

LIST PRICE $28.99

PRICE MAY VARY BY RETAILER
Ships on or around April 16, 2024

About The Book

THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY, LIFE-AFFIRMING MEMOIR YOU WILL EVER READ ABOUT THE POWER OF LOVE.

Did I Ever Tell You? reads like a novel but is an unforgettable true story.

Genevieve (Gwen) Kingston was just eleven years old when her mother passed away, leaving behind a chest filled with gifts and letters to celebrate the milestones of Gwen’s life and each of her birthdays until age thirty.

When Did I Ever Tell You? opens, just three packages remain: engagement, marriage, and first baby. Tracing Gwen’s coming-of-age, the book reveals a treasure hunt, with each gift and letter unveiling more about her mother, her family, and—ultimately—herself.

Like Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner and The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, Did I Ever Tell You? is a riveting book filled with unexpected twists and powerful life lessons. Through her mother’s fierce and courageous love, Gwen was granted the tools not only to move through grief but to cherish life.

For as her mother says in one of her letters: “love is stronger than death.”

About The Author

Photograph by Victoria Stevens

Genevieve Kingston holds BAs in theater and linguistics from UC Berkeley, and an MFA in acting from Brown University/Trinity Repertory Theater. She is the author of four plays and three one acts. In May 2021, her essay, “She Put Her Unspent Love in a Cardboard Box,” appeared in The New York Times’s “Modern Love” column. Did I Ever Tell You? is her first book. She lives with her partner in Brooklyn, New York.

Product Details

  • Publisher: S&S/Marysue Rucci Books (April 16, 2024)
  • Length: 288 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781668006290

Browse Related Books

Raves and Reviews

Did I Ever Tell You? is compelling and heartbreaking, and reminded me how beautiful humans can be when life breaks them open. Gwen's mother, during her own most difficult time, executes an act of miraculous love for her children that has a scope and power that will take your breath away. Don't miss this gorgeous memoir.”
—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward

"I could not love this book more. Did I Ever Tell You? grabbed my heart from the very first pages and took me on a journey that has changed forever the way I think about the legacies we leave—on purpose and by accident—to those we love. In bracing, vivid, generous prose and with crystalline candor, Kingston shares a page-turning and wholly unexpected story about the extraordinary gifts her mother left her, including the most powerful one of all: the tools Kingston needed to carry on without her mom. This book is so full of hard-won wisdom and surprising insight into the challenges and joys of living every day that I want to press it into the hands of everyone I know and say, simply, “You must, must read this."
—Will Schwalbe, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Your Life Book Club

"An extraordinary testament to the power of love over death, this book is healing, moving, and ultimately, instructive. The example of one mother's incredible unconditional love for her daughter, and this daughter’s resilient search to live well in the face of devastating loss, will make readers cry, and also help them through their grief. Though I read this book quickly because I could not put it down, it will nurture me for a long time to come. What a beautiful gift from a mother to a daughter, and for a daughter to her readers."
—Sarah Ruhl, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Smile

"In this gorgeous memoir, Genevieve Kingston packages up the stories of her motherless coming-of-age with as much tenderness and care as her mom took in selecting and wrapping the gifts and letters she left behind for her. At times devastating, at other times funny, Kingston is never treacly or manipulative—she's clear-eyed, reflective, and expansive throughout, making hers a story that so many of us can relate to. This book will give you a long, cathartic cry." —Elise Loehnen, New York Times bestselling author of On Our Best Behavior

“As the shape of her grief changes with age, Kingston teaches us something essential about how to collect, hold, and savor memories of loved ones over a lifetime. A heart-tugging memoir about the many faces of loss.” —Kirkus

“In her debut memoir, UC Berkeley alum Genevieve Kingston expands on her Modern Love essay about a series of gifts that her late mother left behind in anticipation of birthdays and milestones that she’d never witness.” San Francisco Chronicle

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images