Review of Finding Peace After a Suicide Loss

[Sarah Schmidt]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Finding Peace After a Suicide Loss" by Elaine Kennelly.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Finding Peace after a Suicide Loss: Healing Truths for Those Not Yet Healed is a nonfiction book written by Elaine Kennelly. Dealing with the devastation of faith and belief, then their resurrection, this book walks the reader through the aftermath of losing a loved one, specifically by suicide.

Elaine Kennelly tunnels into the mire of unsure thoughts, blame, regret, and what-ifs that plague us following the deaths of those close to us. Thirty years after losing her elder son, Matthew, to suicide, she feels ready to tell others of her experience. In this book, Kennelly explains that her world didn’t just tumble down after Matthew’s death, it crashed and burned, and with it, so did her trust in God. Kennelly goes on to describe how society and the church shunned her in her moment of need, bringing light to the deliberate and continued avoidance of an issue that affects families worldwide. All is not lost, though, as, through the tragedy that she suffered, there is new knowledge of God that she gained.

It felt as if I knew this woman, Elaine Kennelly, through her screams at a divine entity she initially feels has betrayed her. The depth of the sorrow she felt at being abandoned, not just by her son, but by God and society, as well as the piles of self-blame she felt, was clearly transmitted through her writing. She uses Bible verses and scripture readings, as well as parables and analogies, to complement her account of the renewal of her faith. One of my favourite examples of this is when she likens Adam and Eve’s eating of the apple from the forbidden tree and Cain’s taking of his brother’s life to our deceased loved ones eating the fruit of free will gone wrong by ending their own lives.

Comrade, friend, fellow survivor – those are the roles readers adopt as the book progresses. Kennelly speaks as a mother on the subject, not as a licensed professional. I believe that’s what made the topic of suicide, often tackled so clinically and insensitively, feel oddly comfortable to wade through, especially as I think that experience is the greatest teacher of all. She doesn’t deny the pain and anguish that comes with it, tell you to wipe your tears and pull up your big girl panties, so to speak, or put an expiration date on your period of mourning, which I wholeheartedly appreciated.

The setup of the book is also something of note. For each chapter – chapters titled in a poetic reflection of the stages of Kennelly’s grief – a prayer closes off her words, oft accompanied by a touching poem. I especially liked the chapter in which she allows us, the readers, to write our own prayers, giving us prompts along the way. From the beginning, the questions she constantly asks hit home, delivered along with what the author calls ‘healing truths.’ I can confidently state that there is nothing that I disliked about this book.

The errors I found in this book had to do with only one thing. Kennelly repeatedly writes Satan using lowercase letters, even though it is a name and should be capitalized. I took this to be intentional and Kennelly’s preference after the first three or so times. Otherwise, the standard of writing was more than up to scratch. The lack of true errors led me to assume that this book has been professionally edited.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Splendidly written, emotive, and reassuring, this book is well deserving of this perfect rating. Kennelly unpacks a plethora of hard-to-handle emotions, doing so in a manner that deeply engages readers. As such, I would recommend this book to people who have suffered the loss of a loved one and are struggling with maintaining their faith or belief in God. The only people I would say this book is not suited for are probably those who experience anxiety or crippling panic attacks from dealing with heavy topics or emotions.

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Finding Peace After a Suicide Loss
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[Priya_Singh]

It seems like a emotional rollercoaster ride. I have read these kinds of book and I will say what I have told about those books is that I appreciate that more and more people are awakening and also teaching others about this. I wish that in future no one had to die by suicide and depression. Thank you for your wonderful review

[Edit_or]

Feeling forsaken is one of the worst feelings one can feel. Good review.

[Gabriella1997]

The feeling of being abandoned is not a joke,I hope to read more about this book, beautiful review.