“Kate is the first person I reached out to when my son Oliver died. When I was dealing with the unimaginable, her writing helped me more than I could ever describe.”
Part memoir, part handbook for the heartbroken, this powerful, unsparing account of loss will speak to all who are grieving and offer inspiration on moving forward, gently integrating loss into life.
When Kate Inglis’s twin boys were born prematurely, one survived and the other did not. Inglis's story is a springboard that can help other bereaved parents—and anyone who has experienced wrenching loss—reflect on emotional survival in the first year; dealing with family, friends, and bystanders post-loss; the unique guilt and isolation of bereavement; and the fortitude of like-minded community and small kindnesses.
Inglis's unique voice—at once brash, irreverent, and achingly beautiful—creates a nuanced picture of the landscape of grief, encompassing trauma, waves of disbelief and emptiness, moments of unexpected affinity and lightness, and the compassion that grows from our most intense chapters of the human experience.
“Notes for the Everlost is the most beautifully written book I have read in ages, and a great deal more besides: comforting, and sad; full of riddles and wisdom; an unsparing map of grief, with its stubborn terrain and dark jokes and switchback heartbroken roads. This book is great company for terrible times.” —Elizabeth McCracken, author of Thunderstruck & Other Stories
“Inglis gently shows bereaved parents what is unimaginable: that their grief will not always be suffocating, and that, while they will always be bereaved … they will also come to be ‘countless other things.’” —Foreword Reviews
“Highly recommended not only for bereaved parents but for anyone who knows someone who has faced such a loss and doesn’t know how to act or what to say in the face of their suffering.” —Lion’s Roar
“Kate Inglis is a wise, flexible, and ultimately hopeful guide through the inhospitable country of mourning. She is also fierce—fiercely angry, fiercely funny and, most of all, fiercely loving.” —Katherine Ashenburg, author of The Mourner’s Dance
“Highly recommended for anyone in the throes of grief, recent or past.”
—Library Journal (starred)
“An emotional and thought-provoking mix of poetic prose, memories, and beliefs on death, loss, and grief.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A mother’s story on losing her son, but also a lyrical connection to all who have grieved—and a work of deep humanity.” —Spirituality & Health
“A delicate, playful handbook for people who feel they might disappear into grief forever. This candid book will be valuable to anyone facing bereavement or supporting a loved one through it.” — Times Literary Supplement