“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
Part memoir, part handbook for the heartbroken, Notes for the Everlost is an award-winning nonfiction book about grief, bereavement and surviving the loss of a child—but it speaks to all grieving people about 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 for bereaved parents—and anyone who has experienced wrenching loss—to reflect on emotional survival, family relationships, and the guilt and isolation of bereavement as well as the re-emergence of joy.
Inglis's unique voice—at once brash, irreverent, and achingly beautiful—crosses the landscape of grief, encompassing trauma, waves of emptiness, and unexpected affinity and lightness through some of our most intense chapters of the human experience.
“Highly recommended for anyone in the throes of grief, recent or past.”
—Library Journal (starred)
“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
“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.” — Times Literary Supplement
“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
“An emotional and thought-provoking mix of poetic prose and memories on death, loss, and grief.” —Kirkus Reviews
“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
Podcasts and press for Notes for the Everlost
