Beyond Tears

Exploring grief through fiction

It is Matariki in New Zealand. One of the stars in the Matariki cluster is Pohutukawa, which is the star associated with those who have died. As we see this star rising in the sky, we take the time to remember those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki.

It seems appropriate that this week we take a look at two books which centre around the theme of grief. These are both fiction books, not self help/go to books to read about coping with grief.

First up we have Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer. This book was on my list of books to read for about six months until I happened to see it in the recent returns at the library. I will say that when I started reading this one, I struggled a little bit. I am not a fantasy/sci-fi reader. I like my books to be realistic/plausible/within the realms of possibility. Now in this book there is the character of the “egg”. I wanted to know what the egg was. Was it an alien? Is it a pet? Give me SOMETHING! I had to be patient, and I pushed through and I was glad I did. I got over my concerns about the reality of the egg, and I grew to really love this book (and the egg!). I think this is one that might be studied in High School. (Metaphor anyone?)

This book starts with Isaac, who is in his late 20s. We first meet Isaac as he emerges from a black out on the edge of a bridge. Needless to say, Isaac is not doing well. He howls, and something howls back. This is how Isaac meets the egg. Isaac picks up Egg (as he later names him), and takes him home. He is much more than an egg - he moves around, learns to communicate and watches movies with Isaac. He becomes Isaac’s companion as he navigates grief. As the story unfolds, we learn the story of how Isaac came to be in this position. I won’t give away the plot by going any further. What I will say is that this story is beautiful. It is heart warming, and ultimately hopeful. I loved this one. Five stars from me.

Next up is Pack Up The Moon by Kristan Higgins. Although both of these books are about grief, Pack Up the Moon was the one that brought me to tears. It is an emotional rollercoaster. This one gave me Ps I love you vibes.

The story is about Lauren and her husband, Josh. Lauren is unwell and she knows she does not have long to live. She decides to write Josh letters to help him cope with the first year after she has died. In each letter, Lauren gives Josh a task to complete to help him to cope without her. As time passes, you can almost feel all of the feelings that Josh is experiencing. I enjoyed the way that this was written with each chapter being from a different point of view and from a different point in time. Some of the chapters are from Lauren’s perspective before she dies, and others are from Josh, who is dealing with her death. Some of the chapters are letters from Lauren to her father, who passed away before Lauren met Josh. This book is almost as much about love as it is about grief. Through the unfolding of perspectives, we get to learn the love story of Lauren and Josh.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book is the character development. Not only the main characters (I will say that I did find Josh irritating at times!) but the quirky and relatable supporting characters were very well done. This book is not all sobbing (although I have read other reviews where people cried from start to finish with this one, fair warning), there is humor throughout, and the overriding message is one of hope and resilience.

This may be the book that you need at just the right time, or it may be a book that you can only read when you are not in a state of grief yourself. You will know when/if it is the right time to read these books.

Have you read any books about grief? I would love to know if you have any similar recommendations, because life is too short to read bad books.