Review: Heartbreaking & Beautifully-Written Story of Loss and Recovery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 17, 2013
Losing a child is most parent's worst fear. Claire and her husband, Jim, only had moments with their daughter, Lily, before a heart defect took her away too soon. Claire feels suffocated by life, seeing her daughter around every bend. She needs a place to heal and seeks refuge at a place from her youth--a lighthouse.Against her husband's wishes, Claire heads to this place of solitude and cuts herself off from the world. She even disconnects the phone at her new abode. Letters start pouring in from her parents and Jim asking her to return, but she knows she needs the time. There she has visions of her daughter and finds a way to begin the healing process.Claire's emotions are told with heartbreaking honesty. As I was reading, Claire's pain became so real that at times I had to come up for air and put the book down for a moment. A mother myself, I could only imagine the depths of Claire's despair. Just as heartbreaking was knowing how much Claire loved Jim, but how hard she was finding it to reach out to him. As he fought giving in to his tears, she was craving crying with him.Through Claire's journey, we not only see her coping with losing her daughter but we see pieces of her own childhood and learn about her relationship with Jim. With every tear, I became closer to Claire. I felt like I was reading the private journal of a dear friend. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer, because I wanted to know how Claire was still doing years later. But this complaint stems from how much I cared about Claire.If you appreciate a beautifully written, emotional story, please pick up a copy of Finding Lily. Just make sure you have a box of Kleenex beside you.Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not guaranteed or requested; the opinions expressed are my own.