THE MIGRAINE DIARIES

A young man with a chronic migraine condition tries to make sense of pain, its manifestations, and the harsh realities he must confront in their wake.

The novel opens in Tybee Island, Georgia, with the memorial of the unnamed narrator’s best friend, KJ, who died of a stroke at the age of 31. This event marks the protagonist’s first migraine, and from here on, the narrator is plagued with intertwining emotional and physical pain. Readers follow the protagonist as he incorporates vignettes of his daily life into his migraine diary—meeting up with a group of artist friends (painter Hildie and writer Dolores), going to his day job as a video editor, and occasionally stopping by the bar at Pinkie’s. But a few less benign worries present themselves in smaller things: an empty stool where KJ used to sit and the last drawing he gave the narrator, and the hints of sadness in Dolores, whom KJ was going to marry. Interspersed throughout are memories that show glimpses of what life was like when KJ was still alive as well as brief musings on loss, as described by various authors and philosophers. The narrator tries, time and again, to find a treatment that will soothe him completely, but grief is not an easy issue to resolve. The narrative voice is mature, placid, and steady throughout, even as feelings turn volatile, tensions rise, and doubts resurface. (“Maybe that’s the hard part to stomach, that…None of it makes sense…Pain can’t be a story.”) Powers adeptly navigates the protagonist’s internal turmoil and searing self-awareness. Readers shouldn’t expect a plot-driven narrative, but rather a grounded, contemplative journey with insights into the difficult process of healing. As the narrator points out, one must ultimately “go do things, even when it hurts, because nothing else is life.”

An empathetic and heartrending account of grief, and of the love that remains.