A Grief Observed

This slimline book offers a rare insight into Lewis' experience of personal bereavement. His reflections on loss and faith are painfully honest-he gives voice to fears and doubts about God that most of us would be afraid to admit. Lewis' inner wrestling are sure to resonate with all who have endured significant loss, not just bereavement but loss of personhood, loss of connection and loss of faith.

A collected series of journals from Lewis mourning the death though not idolizing the memory of his wife Joy Davidman and the process of severing all the connections and roads that lead to her in his mind. He wonders where and what God is in the process also. I liked the insights particularly tackling the idolatry in grief (which he also tackles in parts of """"The Great Divorce"""") though I don't grieve with his symptoms when I have grieved, being in a fear-like feeling for instance. I haven't read """"Spirits In Bondage"""" which Lewis wrote after World War I but I'm thinking about doing so to see how he handled that grief and comparing it with this.

This isn't a book that offers answers to those who are grieving. Rather it offers solidarity. Lewis questions and grapples with what it feels like (rather than what it means) to grieve the death of a loved one. He is raw, emotional and breath-takingly honest. His theology is not perfect and this book does not come to a tidy conclusion. It is the journal of a man in deep pain. Would I recommend it to a person who is weeping the passing of a family member or friend? Perhaps not straight away. But it is a book that ought to be read at some point, if only because Lewis manages to articulate what we all feel but dare not say. In the words of William Nicholson says,""""We read to know we're not alone. """"\\r\\nAt approximately 70 pages, it won't take much time to read.