Meg Nocero’s story essentially begins nearly a decade ago with her mother’s death. For all of her accomplishments and success, Nocero’s career as a lawyer had done little to prepare her for what followed. In the wake of her mother’s years-long battle with breast cancer, Nocero experienced a litany of negative emotions, including debilitating bouts with depression and anxiety. In response to the downward spiral that eventually led to issues at work and home, Nocero made a series of sweeping changes to her life, beginning with counseling, yoga and culminating with her resignation from a ‘toxic’ job. She then turned her attention to writing, a long and winding journey of re-discovery that ultimately led to the release of her first novel in 2015.
As both an inspirational speaker and podcast host, Nocero is no stranger to sharing her thoughts and opinions with others, but it’s the Florida-based author’s candid tone that really sets BUTTERFLY AWAKENS apart. Nocero doesn’t pull punches. When recounting her mother’s illness and the turmoil that followed, she does so with unflinching honesty. Be it the inclusion of verbatim emails or the poems and quotes sprinkled throughout, readers will find a vivid, borderline voyeuristic accounting of her battles with grief and self-doubt. If there is any criticism to be made, it’s that there’s little refuge to be found from the sheer heaviness of Nocero’s narrative. Be it her mother’s illness or her tortured decision to resign from her position as an immigration prosecutor, the first third of this book consists of little more than a series of emotional blows. Of course, this is her story to tell, and in that regard, Nocero succeeds in painting a painfully vivid picture (especially during the early chapters) of a life-gone-awry. With all of that being said, BUTTERFLY AWAKENS is ultimately a story of forgiveness, acceptance, and rebirth. Rather than attempt to distill her experiences into a step-by-step guide, Nocero decides to let her story speak for itself. Take, for instance, this quote from an email to a former supervisor: “…I walk this part of my journey with a whole lot of faith because now I am making it up as I go along.”
Once Nocero works her way through the five stages of grief, from denial and anger to an eventual acceptance, the book culminates with a pilgrimage of sorts to Spain. It’s there, after completing the famed El Camino de Santiago walk, where Nocero decides to send herself a postcard with the following note: “trust the process.” It’s a symbolic gesture that underscores the true message of this story: life is a marathon, not a race.
From the depths of despair to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, BUTTERFLY AWAKENS is the rare example of an engaging memoir that provides a genuinely enduring message.
~James Weiskittel for IndieReader