 |
Gottlieb's book starts with the shock of a child being hit by a car and killed. The point of view is that of the bereaved mother whose eldest daughter will be gone from her life forever, shattering the mother's relationship with God. But this is only initially. The mother prays, receives the ideas for this book, and softens her heart to a spiritual presence once again. Her book narrates a double journey: hers as the writer coming to terms with the tragedy, and the story of her daughter as the mother imagines her child coming to accept her place in Heaven after having suffered enough on Earth.
Prior to the accident, the daughter, Iris, had just discovered her own lofty goal—to help people appreciate nature through music. Through this, she also hoped to overcome her bouts with depression, including cutting and burning herself, confusion, antidepressants, counseling, and cooling her heels in psych wards. She had finally connected with a reason to live.
As the mother narrates the story of her daughter, small details hold the telling together: the clothes Iris wears, the food she eats, the music she loves, her relationship with animals, and, of course, the pills. The weaving of these narrative threads into a complete tapestry replicates the process of memorializing so needed by those who survive a loved one's death.
As a struggle with the stages of grief, the story is convincingly told. Whether or not a person believes in Jesus and will one day meet up with relatives in Heaven as Iris does, the book serves a major purpose. In providing a model of her grieving process, Gottlieb insightfully creates a channel, enabling readers to mourn the loss of loved ones more imaginatively themselves.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review