Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: grief

  • The Afterwards

    The Afterwards

    December, ‘Ember’ and Happiness ‘Ness’ are the best of friends and when something so terrible happens to Ness, it leaves Ember wondering why, what happened and refusing to accept that Ness has gone – dying as a result of an accident in the park.

    Ember pretends she is OK but can’t help the terrible feeling of sadness that seems to be everywhere. Her Dad does his best to help her understand, but no matter who tries to help her, Ember thinks that what happened to Ness was so unfair and perhaps, just perhaps, she can change things; bring Ness back again, back into her life.

    Through her Uncle, who turns out to be a not so nice person, with his own agenda, Ember finds her way into a world that changes, shifts and terrifies, but as she is on a mission to bring Ness back, Ember defies what she is told, time and time again, placing herself in terrible danger.

    AF Harold weaves the narrative so very well as he takes Ember into a world of shadows, the Afterworld, inhabited by some very unusual people and a Cat who is everything he seems not to be, as he illustrates the pathways despair and sadness can offer to travel.

    Emily Gravett has added some beautifully surreal illustrations creating in visual form the overwhelming grief that is felt during a time of loss, and the eventual acceptance that friends, no matter what, will always be a part of you forever.

    Presented in a hard cover with wrap around dust jacket The Afterwards is a story which helps make sense out of life’s only certainty. For anyone young or old, who has lost a beloved family member or friends, this is a wonderful, insightful and beautifully portrayed look at friendship, grieving and eventual acceptance.

     

  • True Stories from the Morgue

    True Stories from the Morgue

    To most people the nature of the activities which take place in a morgue are generally a mystery. In his book “True Stories from the Morgue” John Merrick provides the reader with an insight into his complex role as a Forensic Counsellor at the Office of the State Coroner in Glebe, Sydney. During his 20 years in this role he has dealt with grieving relatives, coped with mutilated and decomposed bodies and dealt with death on a large scale.

    The role of Forensic Counsellor is a high specialized occupation: the complexity of it normally not understood by the general public. John Merrick’s anecdotal descriptions of cases which form part of his work are realistically and emotively related; they ‘lift the veil’ on the nature of this work. Who can remain dried eyed when reading the experience of the widow who not only lost her husband unexpectedly through a suicide car crash but then lost the next love of her life as the result of a drug overdose before she turned 30?  The account of the perseverance of Ebony Simpson’s mother to obtain justice for her daughter demonstrates the complexity of Mr. Merrick’s job and his willingness to go the extra mile.

    When a loved one dies, those left behind are usually so distressed that they fail to ask for details when an autopsy is scheduled. This book also describes in layman’s terms what happens in an autopsy and at a coronial inquiry. The author explains how it is often the Forensic Counsellor who undertakes the task of clarifying to the bereaved how the autopsy will be undertaken on their loved one.

    This is any easy but an emotional read for those who wish to explore the role of a bereavement counsellor associated with a morgue. Each story leaves the reader not only empathising with the victim but also in awe of the author for his dedication to his job; one which he does with compassion and kindness. 

  • Finding Hannah

    Finding Hannah

    In Finding Hannah, Fiona McCallum takes the issue of tragedy and grieving, weaving a heartfelt and yet healing story around Hannah Ainsley. For anyone who has suffered the tragic loss of a family member or friend they will immediately relate to Hannah’s story of love, loss and the eventual healing which takes place.

    Hannah has always loved Christmas, to her and her family it has always been a special time of the year: presents are searched for wrapped, placed under the tree with great reverence and excitement. Traditional foods are prepared and enjoyed with her family and friends on Christmas Day.

    Tristan goes to collect her parents while Hannah puts ticks the final items of her too do list, but he is away far longer than the usual 20 minutes it takes. Friends who have been invited to lunch begin to arrive and when a knock on the door is heard, it brings with it the most terribly horrific news possible: Tristan and her parents have been killed in an accident. Hannah’s life splinters in that single devastating moment.

    She eventually comes to the place where she realises that her parents and Tristan would expect her to be strong, to cope, to go on in life and to rebuild; but that, while great in thought and principle, Hannah decides, is not so easy to accomplish in real life.

    As the months go by she draws on her friends love and support  to help her through the tough stuff, eventually taking the first small step to beginning again, learning to understand and manage her feelings and arrive at the understanding that the people around her simply want to help.

    Christmas begins to loom once again, and she is faced with the issue of what to do, stay home of go away. She decides to unwrap the presents left from that fateful Christmas Day and discovers a clue to a surprise trip to New York as the final gift from her parents. Does she take one more huge step or not and will it help Hannah begin to look towards a positive future once again?

    Beautifully written, McCallum has gone from strength to strength in her writing and in doing so takes the almost taboo subject of grief and grieving out of the dark and into the healing light.

  • Letters to the Lost

    Letters to the Lost

    As a young adult romance, we watch the unfolding of the lives of two people, influenced by those around them. Brigid writes about two disturbed teenagers. Juliet has recently lost her mother, and is grieving for the woman she loved so dearly. Declan, has claimed responsibility for his sister’s death, although it was his father who was drunk driving, who had the accident which killed the girl.  This story is fairly confronting at times, but never without hope.

     Juliet is very much loved by the father she sees as quiet and colourless, compared to her vivacious mother. Declan’s experience of parenting is quite different. His mother is a needy, passive woman, who wants peace; his father was outwardly popular, but mostly drunk at home. Now Declan’s mother has quickly moved on and has just married a man, to replace her previous husband. The new husband Alan feels it is his role to be tough with Declan and keep him in line. Both of the main characters are suffering, and both show their anguish in different ways.

     The author shows many elements of the grieving process, and how, with help, people can begin to move forward with understanding. It is so easy for everyone to label Declan. At school he is more often than not, found in the Principal’s office for a misdemeanour. An English teacher asks the class to look at a poem, which affects Declan greatly; he drops his guard and comments insightfully. The English teacher perseveres, and gently, but persistently gets the young man to begin to reveal the talents that he has.

      For Juliet, the photography teacher at school asks her to take a photo for the school magazine. Her mother was a famous photographer, and for Juliet, taking that photo was an enormous step. In the cleverest way, the author brings these two characters together.

     There is a very original plot in this story and much of it is told via text messages, between the characters. By far the most significant impact for both Juliet and Declan, in this terrible time, is the absolute loyalty and support given by their best friends.  Fortunately, their best friends are steadfast and wise, and always there to give support, or a direct answer when needed.

      There are many twists and turns in this very readable novel, some of them quite unexpected. It is good to know that there are many ways that people can help each other and give support, because we all need comfort at some time in our life. There is much to be gleaned from reading this story.

  • Happy People Read and Drink Coffee

    Happy People Read and Drink Coffee

    The title of the book is actually the name of a book café, run by the main character in this story, Diane. She comes from a wealthy Parisian family, who gave her the store to run. Diane is very happily married with a loving husband, and daughter Clara. In fact, life couldn’t be better for this French family. Felix is a family friend who helps Diane run the book café.

     This idyllic life is soon shattered by an enormous tragedy. Diane has never had to manage, or overcome any hurdles, to achieve what she wanted. She is paralysed with fear and despair.  In fact, she barely leaves her apartment for a year, visited only by Felix, who regales her with stories of his nightly escapades.

     Grief manifests itself in many ways, but for most people, time lessens pain, and the mind prepares to take the next step.  Diane’s next step leads her to Ireland, to a place she finds by sticking her finger blindly on a point on the map. She discovers that distance is no cure or aid to forgetting, and that nothing has changed apart from the scenery. She is renting a cottage by the sea, and next door lives a very grumpy man. He is surly and bad mannered and makes it plain he wants nothing to do with her. They fight often as they are neighbours and can’t help bumping into each other on the beach or at the pub. If Edward is rude, then she is equally arrogant and stubborn. Not the makings of a friendship you would think.

     Gradually, Edward and Diane begin to form a relationship bred of recognition by both of them, that each is a much wounded person. However, this is not an easy romantic solution for either of them. There are lives to be lived and paths to be followed for each of these people to find happiness and contentment, running away won’t help and hiding from society is not a solution.

     It is refreshing to read a book that has a romantic/tragic element, but is realistic in some of the ways people sort out their lives. To move forward and achieve is a measure of healing, but it comes with sadness and pain. Life will never be the same but there are times to enjoy, satisfaction to be gained, and pleasures to be had.