When someone you love dies, it may seem impossible to know what will happen next and how you will cope. Losing someone in early adulthood, you may feel even more alone, when no-one around you seems to have had the same experience.
Our letters don’t have all the answers, but they do have some – because we’ve been through it ourselves. Some of us have written to ourselves back on that first day of grief, with the reassurance that we will get through those awful first months. Others share snippets from our grief journeys – from the experience of therapy, to the power of getting creative.
Encompassing all types of loss, these stories show that there is no one way to grieve. They talk honestly about grief – the sad, the bad, and the surprisingly beautiful.
Welcome to the Grief Club, we’re so glad you’ve found us.
Get to know some of our contributors
Tim was 14 when his mum died of cancer. In his letter
he is speaking to his younger self in the weeks after her death
where triggers are painful and plentiful. From the time of the
day to the food you eat, at times it feels like it could be that
way forever.
Shirin is a solicitor and the co-founder of South Asian
Sisters Speak (SASS). She was 25 years old when her dad died
from a rare rapidly degenerative neurological condition. In
her interlude she explores the loss of cultural rootedness as a
bereaved child of an immigrant.
Gavin lost his wife to cancer in late 2020. In his letter
he lets a newly grieving widower know what he might come
to expect.
Hussain has written the Foreword for the book and writes to himself about everything he has learnt since the death of his mother.
Tagged ‘The Original Mummy’s Boy’, Hussain’s debut poetry collection Life is Sad and Beautiful was published in 2022.
Megan was 22 years old when her 20-year-old little brother Billy died in a freak motorcycle accident in Thailand. Her letter is full of the love, reassurance and hope she wishes she had received when she began her grief journey in 2018.
Chanelle was just nine years old when she suddenly lost her identical twin sister in an accident. In her letter she writes about the journey of struggling to find her own individual identity and the challenges she experienced along the way.
Rebecca-Monique is an ICF accredited grief and trauma coach, supporting individuals in normalising and living with their pain so they can enjoy healthy, authentic lives. Aged 8, Rebecca-Monique lost her adopted mother to a heart attack. Find out more about Rebecca-Monique’s work and listen to her podcast
via rbccmnq.com.
Joel was in his twenties when he lost his mum to cancer.
In his letter he writes to himself in the early days of grief.
As co-Editor for the book along with Kate, Beth wrote the Introduction and Conclusion and had the privilege of reading all the contributions. Within the book, she speaks to her siblings about grief and together they have written a piece about how grief is different between family members.
Our amazing publishers are Jessica Kingsley Publishers, and we are so thankful for their support in bringing this project to life. Thank you especially to Elen who believed in the idea, and to Hannah, Gracie, Pauli, Charlotte and many more people at JKP who have turned a dream into a reality!