Tag: Grief

Categories
Biography Non Fiction Self help

Now is Not the Time for Flowers, Stacey Heale

When Stacey’s husband, Greg, is diagnosed with incurable cancer, Stacey’s life as she knew it comes to a halt. Confronted with this devastating reality, Stacey explores the profound differences between our expectations and reality in this part self-help, part memoir book.

Stacey takes readers on a journey through the complexities of grief in modern life, revealing the messy and unexpected realities of love, desire, motherhood, death, grief, identity, personal growth, and the challenges and questions that arise from our nuanced lives.

‘Now is Not the Time for Flowers’ is a truly honest reflection of grief and all its complexities. I found Stacey’s writing refreshing; her honesty resonated, and she articulates so well what many of us fail to put into words. Her words are comforting, and her perspectives on life are encouraging – I don’t think I have highlighted so many things in one book before.

I loved how the book had short chapters and jumped between topics. Many books on grief reflect on a few topics in great detail, but in doing so, they leave out so much and become repetitive. Grief is messy; it impacts many parts of our lives and can leave our minds jumping ferociously between different thoughts and emotions, and I felt this reflected in this book. No stone is left unturned, and Stacey doesn’t shy away from any thought, making it more authentic and relatable than most books on grief.

Other themes which come to light in the book, and which I found incredibly enlightening, include the power of social media networks, the relationship between grief and capitalism, the experiences of women and how we find ourselves playing roles throughout our lives, and the concept of a teenage bedroom as a site for identity construction.

This book is not only for those who have dealt with grief or know someone who is terminally ill but for everyone, as it serves as a poignant reminder of why we should find joy in every day. Thank you, Stacey, for sharing your and Greg’s story.

Categories
Children's Fiction Fiction

I’ve Never Met My Grandpa, Shannon Zigmund

I’ve Never Met My Grandpa follows a little girl, whose Grandpa died before she was born, as her family tell her all the things about him; that he was kind, that he liked the theatre and was brave to name just a few.

As she pieces together all the stories everyone tells her she realises that whilst she never met her Grandpa, having been told all the stories about him she does in fact feel like she knows him very well deep down.

 This book is a great starter to any conversations for young people around grief. It is written in an easy to understand way and accompanied with beautiful illustrations. The book also finishes with a few conversation starters for you to have with young children.

 I’ve Never Met My Grandpa will be published on the 18th October. With thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Non Fiction Self help

Every Family Has a Story, Julia Samuel

In Every Family Has a Story leading psychotherapist Julia Samuel shares the beautiful and insightful stories of eight families who she has personally worked with. Collectively these stories widen our eyes to the vast range of adversities families go through and show how these issues can make or break families.

Aside from the eight stories shared, Julia also draws upon academic research and shares her twelve touchstones for family rituals which provide us with tools to improve our relationships within our own families.

Despite the trauma and hardships which the families in this book courageously share with us all, this is also a book of hope.

As a huge fan of Julia and the incredible work she does, I was honoured to receive an ARC of Every Family Has a Story and have to say it truly did not disappoint my expectations.

I was absolutely captivated by the eight families in the book. Their stories were shared sensitively but really showed the complexities which families face, covering issues such as grief, suicide, addiction, and blended families to name a few.

So often (particularly when you are young) you think everyone has a perfect family. This book reinforces that no one does (or perhaps I am yet to meet someone who does), however what is important is how we work at our family relationships, how we hold time and space for others and the importance of forgiveness whilst also protecting our own individual best interests.

Overall. A strong 5 stars. This book opened my mind and taught me a lot. The only negative is I was gutted it had to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin General UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Every Family Has a Story will be published on 17th March 2022.

Categories
Fiction

Walking on Sunshine, Giovanna Fletcher

Trigger warning: Cancer, Death

Mike has lost his partner of seventeen years Pia, and alongside their own grief and supporting Mike, Pia’s best friends Vicky and Zaza have issues of their own- Vicky has lost sight of herself as she has caught in the day-to-day of being a wife and a mum and Zaza, who is newly engaged, fears commitment.

Before her death Pia prepared a list for the trio to help them deal with their grief, and ever the adventurer and optimist this list sends Mike, Vicky and Zaza on a trek to Peru. Whilst they find it bizarre they allow their faith in Pia to guide them but will they learn for themselves that anything is possible when you’re walking on sunshine?

Walking on Sunshine, whilst sad, is above all a story of hope. The story follows the three main characters as they deal with their grief following Pia’s death, as well as how they support each other in their life after loss.

I haven’t read any of Giovanna Fletcher’s work before, but I really did enjoy this. I thought the book was well structured with chapters being told from the different characters so that we could really delve into each of their perspectives. I also thought the characters were extremely believable and their feelings relatable to everyday life.

Themes in the book include friendship, grief, life after loss, identity, and family life. You could tell that these themes were well researched- Giovanna has done a lot of work for the charity CoppaFeel and talks a lot about the highs and lows of family life and this came across authentically. I thought the subject of grief was dealt with in an honest way- touching upon some of the feelings which people don’t talk about as much. An example of this is when one of the characters who talks about guilt – ‘‘any time I’m not consumed by dark and tragic grief I feel guilty’’. As someone who has experienced a difficult bereavement just over a year ago, I really emphasised with a lot of what was said and felt by the characters in the book.

Overall, Walking on Sunshine is fully worthy of five stars. Please do not be put off by this book because of some of the sadder themes in the book, be encouraged for above all it is a story of hope- and with that I will leave you with the following quote which left me with chills down my spine…

‘‘Years ago I found myself wondering, ‘Is this it?, but now I realise that no one moment is ever it. The world keeps turning, life keeps going, deaths occur, babies are born, hearts are broken and mended again. Life happens and there’s nothing you can do to stop it rolling once it starts. In your whole lifetime it only stops once, when you reach the end. Until then you have to be prepared for the lows and highs, the struggle and joy, the hurt and love- whatever you land on, you will keep moving. You will keep going. Because that is the difference between life and death.’’

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Categories
Fiction

At First Sight, Hannah Sunderland

Trigger Warning: suicide, bereavement, mental health illnesses.

Nell is a telephone operator at a mental health charity. One lunch time chance leads Nell to meet Charlie in a cafe. They both feel a spark but regrettably don’t exchange numbers. After leaving the cafe and heading back to work Nell does a u-turn, as she rushes back to the cafe in hope that Charlie is still there. When she realises he is not,  she accepts she will not see him again.

Fate has a funny way of bringing people together and that is exactly what happens to Nell and Charlie when the next day Nell’s work phone rings and Charlie is at the other end of the line. He needs Nell’s help.

At First Sight is beautifully written and heartwarming but is like no other romance story I have ever read as it delves into some of life’s darkest moments as it centres around themes such as suicide, mental health, depression, grief and finding love after bereavement.

Having been recently bereaved by suicide myself, I thought that the book was written in the most sensitive way, with an aim to break surrounding stigmas and raise awareness, and you can tell that Hannah Sunderland had researched the themes very thoroughly.

The pace of the book felt right and I felt fully invested in all the characters. Whilst, as a reader you want Nell and Charlie to live happily ever after, I really appreciated that the author didn’t include romantic cliches. I found this emphasised the difficulties those who have been bereaved, and those who support them, face and that these things are never a straight line.

Overall, a really emotionally rewarding book, which is very different from anything I have read before.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Non Fiction Self help

I’m Fine Thanks, Chris Doveton

Men’s mental health is so often ignored so it was very refreshing to to read this heart-wrenching story, shared by Chris Doveton, who takes us through his story of caring for his wife, his journey with grief and living with depression.

Chris and Anne were happily married when in Anne was diagnosed with a rare illness similar to MND back in the 90’s. At Anne’s request, Anne and Chris kept the diagnosis a secret for many years- hiding the truth from their friends and even their daughter, Louisa. However, as Anne shows more and more signs of her illness, the time comes where they cannot keep this secret any longer and Chris cares for Anne as her body slowly shuts down until the disease eventually takes her life in 2002.

Following Anne’s death Chris embarks on a journey of grief and experiences depression and feelings of loneliness. He begins overspending to fill the void and contemplates suicide. However, Chris’ story also offers hope and encouragement to those experiencing similar feelings as he overcomes these emotions. With male grief and depression so seldom talked about I would like to think this book will talk to those experiencing similar feelings and I hope they can find comfort in the hope Chris’ story offers

I’m Fine Thanks is not an easy read but it was brutally honest, raw and emotional.

*Many thanks to Net-Galley and The Book Guild for this ARC in exchange for an honest review