Summary

In the memoir-style novel, Our Short History, the narrator, Karen begins writing a book to her now six-year-old son, Jacob. The opening paragraph consists of her reminiscing about her childhood and teenage years when she believed that one day she was going to be a writer. She goes on to say how now that she is an adult, she realizes that people seldom become what they thought they would be when they were young, but even though she has not become a writer, she still has a lot in her life to be happy about and grateful for, including many successes. She explains to him that she has stage IV ovarian cancer and has only a couple of years left to live. The book she is writing is intended to act as a reservoir of memories, advice, and truths that Karen will not...