Sadness. That sums this book up best. We live in a society where grief has become so sterile - bodies are removed almost immediately after the person passes, we are taught to stand strong at funerals and not shed a tear, and many folks rarely visit graves after the first year or so. It's not right for you to be sad - here's a magic pill that will make it all better! I find this sad and depressing - what on earth is wrong with you people?! Yes, it's sad that our beloved family members have left us, we should grieve - as long as it takes. The dead should be remembered, not forgotten. Memento Mori and photos of loved ones after they have passed are beautiful, not morbid. Celebrate their life! Alright, enough with my tangent, on with the book....
The author, Meghan O'Rourke, wrote this book after her mother passed away from cancer at the age of 55. She struggled with her grief, finding that nothing had prepared her for the sadness she felt - even though she had done her best to prepare herself for what would happen when her mother passed. She began to create a record of her life as a mourner, trying to capture the paradox of grief. Out came The Long Goodbye, a candid look at grief as we know it. Some is research, some is reflection, but above all it is honest. If you are grieving, having lost someone dear, this book will show you that you are not alone. Look at it as a letter, or a blog, about losing - and missing - her parent.
Visit the author's website here.
The Long Goodbye: A Memoir by Meghan O'Rourke is a paperback memoir book published by Riverhead Books. It is 320 pages long. The suggested cover price is $16.00, and Amazon has it available for $ as of this posting. It is also available as an e-book for the Kindle and other e-readers.
I received a copy of this book in order to read it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the author(s) or publisher.
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