I started writing The King's Gambit in February of 2017 during my last year of undergraduate studies. At the time, my mother was in an assisted living facility and on dialysis treatment three times a week. My grandmother, my 9-year-old brother, and I were the only people she had left, and it took quite the toll on us. Writing started off as a therapeutic hobby to help me cope with her illness and accept the fact that she was dying. The project turned into something much bigger and became more about coping with my mother's illness. It was about extending my experience through Ben's journey to others, hoping they could learn to appreciate life and accept death as a reality the way that I did. Therefore, I would say that Death is the most prominent theme in The King's Gambit. The story is about accepting death as a part of life, knowing that we cannot avoid it, but that we can have a say in how we experience it. I strongly recommend reading Dr. Atul Gawande's Being Mortal. Much of its messages and themes made its way into The King's Gambit. While I am in no way associated with Dr. Gawande, nor am I endorsed by his publisher, I do think it's a fantastic read. It puts our society's attitudes on death into perspective, and it can help the layperson understand the complexities of our health care system, nursing homes, and hospice care. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to read it until after my mother died, but it helped me nonetheless. If you are dealing with the illness or death of a loved one, I strongly suggest giving it a chance.
Image from Goodreads, at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20696006-being-mortal
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