'Witty and daring … with a hearse-black wit and a quiet wisdom' GUARDIAN

'A profoundly affecting book' TORONTO STAR

Internationally bestselling author Miriam Toews recounts her father's life as he might have told it, right up to his final day.

One morning Mel Toews put on his coat and hat and walked out of town, prepared to die. A loving husband and father, faithful member of the Mennonite church, and immensely popular schoolteacher, he was a pillar of his close-knit community. Yet after a lifetime of struggle, he could no longer face the darkness of manic depression.

With razor-sharp precision, Swing Low tells his story in his own voice, taking us deep inside the experience of despair. But it is also a funny, winsome evocation of country life: growing up on farm, courting a wife, becoming a teacher, and rearing a happy, strong family in the midst of private torment.

Reverberating with emotional power, authenticity, and insight, Swing Low is a humane, inspiring story of a remarkable man, father, and teacher.

In this poignant memoir, Toews delves into the complexities of relationships and parenting, while grappling with grief and bereavement. His narrative, laced with humour, offers a candid exploration of fatherhood and death, making Swing Low a compelling read.

For fans of Lisa Taddeo (Three Women), Samantha Harvey (The Shapeless Unease), Colm Tóibín (The Master), Annie Ernaux (A Woman's Story – WINNER OF THE 2022 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE), and Maggie O'Farrell (I Am, I Am, I Am).

HarperCollins 2025