Maureen Stanton encountered Steve during their twenties. She had just concluded a tumultuous romance, while he had moved on from a challenging marriage. Together, they discovered an intense love and aspired to a life of self-sufficiency in rural Michigan. Three years later, at the age of 29, Steve was confronted with a cancer diagnosis, prompting the couple to commit fully to the fight for his survival.

Steve’s childhood companion, Joey, a substance abuser, realized he needed funds for groundbreaking cancer treatments that insurance would not cover. He proposed selling Steve’s pain relievers to assist with the expenses. Only one of the pairs of friends would emerge alive.

In “The Murmur of Everything Moving,” Stanton narrates the journey of a young, working-class couple through the healthcare landscape. They traverse the realms of sickness, caregiving, empathy, and grief. This poignant and heart-wrenching memoir ultimately unfolds as a tale of love — romantic, fraternal, and spiritual — amidst all its demanding yet beautiful intricacies.

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