Quote by Terese Marie Mailhot: “Memory is a bruise. It's a wound that never quite heals.”

This powerful metaphor explains that memories, especially painful ones, are not just mental recollections but enduring emotional injuries. Like a bruise, they might fade but the sensitivity and mark remain, reminding us that past hurts continue to affect us.

From 'Heart Berries,' this quote profoundly expresses the lasting impact of trauma on her identity and memory. It speaks to the ongoing process of healing and living with past pain, resonating within contemporary discussions about intergenerational trauma and mental health.

Canadian author and member of the Seabird Island Band whose memoir Heart Berries became a bestseller and was praised for its radical formal innovation and emotional honesty. She writes about Indigenous experience, trauma, and motherhood with compressed, visceral prose.