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  Heartbreaking but absolutely compelling reading

  How does a parent ever cope with losing a child, let alone to something as unthinkable as suicide? This was the question that Jan Andersen had asked herself many times prior to losing her eldest son Kristian in November 2002. However, when the unimaginable did happen, instead of giving up on life as so many would, she began to channel her grief into what I can only describe as an incredible piece of writing.

  I have a short attention span, so rarely do I come across a book that I have difficulty putting down after a brief period of reading. This book, however, captured my attention from the very first page and I did not want to stop reading. The author has not only attempted to tackle a very difficult and emotional topic, but she has channelled her own grief into what I can only describe as an incredible piece of writing. As I read the book I laughed and I sobbed many times, but it also made me think about certain issues a lot more deeply and has made me realise the enormous importance of communicating with my children. It has definitely made me more aware that suicide is not confined to certain sectors of society, but can happen to anyone, anywhere and at any time.

  I have two children and one of my biggest fears has always been losing one of them, a fear with which I am certain all parents can identify. I am not certain that I would be able to carry on if something ever happened to one of them, so I have even more respect for the author in having pulled herself from the depths of her grief to produce something so positive, so helpful and so touching.

  The author hasn’t just covered the suicide of her own son and the range of emotions and situations that she had to face, but has included a plethora of experiences from families around the world, all in different family set-ups. She has included experiences from grandparents, siblings, stepparents and so on, so that no one within the extended family has been forgotten.

  She has also raised topics that I would never even have considered, such as the way in which a bereaved parent reacts to physical contact after the loss, dealing with the insensitive things that people do and say and a really uplifting chapter on life after death.

  It has certainly made me re-think the way in which I will respond to anyone who has suffered a bereavement and I hope that it has taught me to say something more appropriate.

  I will be reading the book again and have recommended it to all the parents that I know.

  Review by ellie69 on 13:15, 04 Nov 2009

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