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The Archaeology of Loss

Life, love and the art of dying

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The Archaeology of Loss

By: Sarah Tarlow
Narrated by: Sarah Tarlow
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About this listen

My whole adult life, I have made a study of death.

A stunning blend of the personal and professional, The Archaeology of Loss is Sarah Tarlow’s first memoir. An accomplished archaeologist, much of Sarah’s work is concerned with the ritual and belief behind the practice of grief. In 2012, she was awarded the Chair in Archaeology at the University of Leicester. But in the years that followed this appointment, Sarah’s husband, Mark, would begin to suffer from a progressive but undiagnosed illness, finally resulting in his inability to drive, to walk, to taste or to care for himself. Though Sarah had devoted her professional life to the study of emotion, of how we anticipate and experience grief, nothing could have prepared her for the realities of care-giving, of losing someone you love and the helplessness attached to both.

A fiercely honest and unique memoir, The Archaeology of Loss describes a collective experience with an unflinching and singular gaze and will undoubtedly speak to listeners of The Salt Path and H is for Hawk. Told with humour, intelligence and urgency, this is an unforgettable experience.

©2023 Sarah Tarlow (P)2023 Macmillan Publishers International Limited Archaeology Grief & Loss Women

Critic Reviews

Extraordinary, unflinching, wonderful, moving (Nina Stibbe, author of Love, Nina)
In Archaeology of Loss Sarah Tarlow has harnessed the consoling power of unvarnished truth. Direct, honest and deeply compassionate, this book is a companion for anyone navigating the hardships of loss and uncertainty, but it's also a celebration of all that love can stretch to hold. Informed by both Tarlow's lived experience and perspective as an archaeologist, it asks vital questions about what it means to live and die well. I found it both thought-provoking and moving. (Octavia Bright, author of This Ragged Grace)
Brave, bold and exquisitely told and with such vibrancy and force, The Archaeology of Loss is a personal story of love, grief, and pain perfectly framed by the author's deep knowledge of the archaeologies of death and mourning. (Helen Paris, author of Lost Property)

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Brilliant

Insightful account and exploration of love and loss conveyed with nuance, giving voice to the complexities of being a caregiver (especially as someone thrust into the role with an already full plate of an enriching academic life, juggling a household and parenting three children). Unflinchingly honest and considered, Sarah Tarlow examines her life and reveals to us her observations and humanity, her relationship with her partner and their journey with his undiagnosed progressive illness, notably through the lense of her own work as an archaeologist and academic. I loved it.

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