A Death in the Family
Karl Ove Knausgaard and Don Bartlett
Book
Karl Ove Knausgaard writes with exhilarating honesty about his childhood and teenage years, his...
Stoner
Book
William Stoner enters the University of Missouri at nineteen to study agriculture. A seminar on...
New Shapes of Life by Martin Carr
Album Watch
Martin Carr was the guitarist and principle songwriter for always critically successful and...
alternative indie
Mirrorheart (Ash & Blue, #2)
9.0
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Stef died, and Ryan made a wish. A week ago, Ryan didn't have an adopted daughter. A week ago, he...
Urban Fantasy
Fela Fela: This Bitch of a Life
Book
Superstar, composer, singer, musician, mystic and political activist, Nigeria's Fela Kuti was a...
Remembering Diana: A Life in Photographs
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For the millions who adored the People's Princess, this lavish book celebrates Diana Spencer's life...
The Animal Communicator's Guide Through Life, Loss and Love
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'He was just a pet,' people sometimes say, and yet our animal companions are so much more to us than...
Hallettatme (9 KP) rated The Immortalists in Books
Aug 2, 2018
This book made me think, hard about what my life is leading up to. It made me wonder if that niggling fear of death and my attempts to avoid it were all in vain. It also gave me an appreciation for how I have lived my life thus far. This novel is beautiful and heart rending while somehow, in the end, giving hope that while we may just be along for the ride, life can be beautiful and worth the heartbreak.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated This Shining Life in Books
Feb 15, 2021
This Shining Life by Harriet Kline is a heartbreaking tale about a family coming to terms with death. Told from several people's point of view, Kline explores different portrayals of grief. Ollie's mum wants to stay in bed; his aunt wants life to carry on; his maternal grandmother tries to exert control; his paternal grandmother wishes she could understand her grandson; and his grandfather has no idea what is going on. No one has time for Ollie and his obsession with his puzzle.
Before Richard's death, Ollie dominated family life. Ollie had a strict routine, always had a few spare pairs of socks with him because he hated dirty ones, and had meltdowns if his parents used the "wrong" tone of voice. Without his familiar habits, Ollie's life was a mass of confusion - an apt metaphor for the grief the rest of the family experienced.
With a contemporary novel such as This Shining Life, there is no "happy ever after". People do not come back from the dead. There is no answer to the meaning of life. Grief is a long process and different for everyone. It causes depression, anger and confusion, but hidden under all these negative feelings is love.
Harriet Kline takes death and grief seriously but adds a touch of humour to the narrative for the reader's benefit. It is not a light read, nor is it markedly profound. Instead, This Shining Life is painfully honest, and for that reason, it is beautiful.
Love & Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain
Book
On Friday April 8th 1994 the body of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was discovered in a room above his...