This extraordinary evocation of a grown daughterâs attachment to her motherâand of both womenâs strength and resiliencyârecounts Annieâs attempt to first help her mother recover from Alzheimerâs disease and, then, when that proves futile, bear witness to the older womanâs gradual decline and her own experience as a daughter losing a beloved parent. I Remain in Darkness is a new high-water mark for Ernaux, surging with raw emotional power and her sublime ability to use language to apprehend her own lifeâs particular music.