Probably one of the most difficult challenges to weather in this life is the loss of someone very close to you and even worse watching them battle for a win in their life against a disease that will ultimately claim them and take them from us, thus two lives will be lost.
In the novel After Image by Carla Malden, we get to share in her personal memoir of dealing with the loss of her husband, Laurence, to cancer at such an early age in their marriage. The story is so touching and real for me because I couldn't imagine a life without my husband in it and it was difficult for me to read Carla's words as she takes us through her journey of dealing with finding out her husband is diagnosed with cancer and the subsequent battle she faced in trying to beat it.
Nothing can prepare the reader for Carla's words come through as though you are sitting with a close friend who is walking through her grief. We get to see "snapshots" of Laurence's life so we are getting to know both of them in the process. Carla's memoir is about as real as it comes for anyone who has ever dealt with grief or even facing the unknown turmoils and challenges that cancer can bring. From dealing with all the unknown's going through your mind as you try to search for an answer that may defeat cancer, to walking through the minutes and weeks of chemotherapy hoping against hope that no matter how positive you remain, in the back of your mind doubt and fear still peers it's ugly head.
I received this book compliments of Pump Up Your Book for my honest review. This book rates a 5 out of 5 stars for me. It offers a different perspective of dealing with a loss of a loved one so great that you wonder if life will ever be the same again. The only thing that grieves me is one statement in the beginning of the book where the author quotes, "But cancer was the villain in our story, and while I emerged from this year with no glimpse of God, I began to wonder toward the end, if, in fact, the devil does indeed exist, and if we were not battling him mano a mano." (pg 3). I personally believe that God is present in everything we go through even though it appears that at that time, God was silent as this happened. You will definitely need a box of tissues to go along with this one. It grabs your heart and makes you really appreciate the time we have with the ones we love!
For even more information about this book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this book, please click on the links below:
- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: skirt!; First edition (May 3, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0762763825
- ISBN-13: 978-0762763825
- Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
- Price: $ 16.47
I know it would be hard to read but it sounds like something I may want to read.
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