Name: A Grief Observed
Writer: C.S Lewis
Genre: Non-fiction
Length: 50 pages
In life we endure hardships and suffer losses but the loss of a beloved better half often leaves us empty and the void left is forever. This book gives a brief account of the author C.S Lewis's grief of losing his beloved, best friend and wife, Helen Joy Gresham (Davidman). Troubled by the most basic questions, he found himself delving into a new world, a world of bereavement.
It was during those three tedious years while taking care of his wife battling with cancer, he got mentally as well as physically fatigued. It made him realise that the only way to make sense of his befogged thoughts is by penning them down in a journal. And that's how this little book formed, which is a journey from struggling to seeking answers of the most
unsettling thoughts during his time of grief.
During the bereavement period, Lewis found himself challenged by a shaken faith when he felt the absence of God on the time of loss. He felt ashamed to talk about his grief or cry it out as an outcome of a gender discriminating parenting in childhood. And the most difficult thing was to take up the condolences of a grief that was never imagined or thought of.
Being an extraordinary intellectual, Jack (C.S Lewis) could earn a few like-minded people who formed a group named" Inklings". J.R.R.Tolkein, John Wain, Roger Lancelyn-Green and Neville Coghill were amongst those members with whom he could carry discussions and debates. Keeping the fact in mind, this little book of immense genius clearly depicts the author's level of intellect and thus makes it a profound and a dense read.
In the end, Lewis discovers through his journey that having a strong faith in God could help us weather all storms and the restoration of faith which is likely to be lost in this way comes with time and patience. I personally liked the book as I found it's approach realistic. And since there's no specific guidelines to observe a grief, it was a unique experience to read a sincere and a v personal attempt of making sense of all the stray feelings and emotions the writer went through after his wife's tragic death.
An Irish-born writer and a literary scholar, C.S Lewis got fame with all time favourite children's book " Chronicles of Narnia". Besides writing fantasy, he also wrote books on Christian Faith but amongst his non-fiction work, I believe "A Grief Observed" is a classic and an interesting read.
