Review: Not your usual sentimental account
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 8, 2013
Picked up this book free on a Kindle daily deal. I suppose it seems odd to choose a book that deals with the death of a stranger. Why should I care? What's more, why should I needlessly depress myself with a stranger's suffering? But I have found that a first-person account, treated by a thoughtful writer, can be very absorbing, and so it was with Mr. Humphries' story in which he records his experiences, good and bad, during the first year after the sudden death of his 39-year-old wife. The book is well titled: this is no drippy, maudlin piece meant to sensationalize his wife's death. It is a thoughtful, reflective (almost) daily journal of sudden loss, single parenthood, well-meaning friends and family, and the long list of administrative duties involved in losing a loved one. I enjoyed the read (I know that sounds oxymoronic) because the emotional aspects of losing a spouse were dealth with so candidly. We all face death. Perhaps Mr. Humphries' story will prepare us, even a little bit, when it's our turn.Had it been professionally edited I would have given it 5 stars.