Rain's Reviews > A Grief Observed

Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.

In her introduction to this new edition, Madeleine L'Engle writes: "I am grateful to Lewis for having the courage to yell, to doubt, to kick at God in angry violence. This is a part of a healthy grief which is not often encouraged.”

This short is unlike anything else I’ve read by C.S. Lewis. It’s deeply personal, painfully honest, and quietly profound. Written in the aftermath of his wife, Joy Davidman’s death, this short book is essentially Lewis thinking, and feeling, his way through grief, doubt, and love with no filters.

What makes this so powerful is his willingness to feel everything out loud. He doesn't hide from the hard questions about faith, or suffering, and in doing so, he gives the us permission to face our own grief without shame.