By Moraa, Created on 6th Oct 2021

 

Genre: Fiction, Biography

Published: 11^th May 2021

Rate: 5/5

 

My Review

Chimamanda adored her dad.

The whole family loved the father.

The father loved his family.

 I have always admired people who have a gift of expressing themselves. Particularly people who can clearly articulate their feelings in words. Chimamanda expresses herself well in Notes on Grief. I felt her pain, her grief, her despair, her anger, her sadness, her love for the dad, her vulnerability, her uncertainty in life, in every sentence that she wrote. This book is personal and intimate.

 

One of my goals this year was to read at least one book per month on grief and death-Last year I experienced a number of close deaths that made me look at death and grief from a whole different angle.  This is the first book I have so far managed to finish. I think I have DNFed two. Chapter ten of Notes on Grief is what I look for when I read books on Grief and Death. What exactly do I say to someone who has recently lost a loved one without hurting their feelings? Chimamanda writes, “I back away from condolences. People are kind, people mean well, but knowing this doesn’t make their words rankle less. Simply say, ‘I’m sorry’. Concrete and sincere memories from those who knew him comfort the most and it warms me that the same words recur: honest, calm, kind, strong, quiet, simple, peaceful, integrity.”

 

Notes on Grief is beautifully written. And since I’ve listened to a number of Chimamanda’s speeches on youtube, I couldn’t help but read the book in her voice in my head. With this book, it is so easy to be a little jealousy of the wholesome relationship between father and daughter.