There are so many self-help books for people who are dealing with bereavement, with all too many of them setting out the various "stages" one needs to negotiate before being able to "move on". But what if your own experiences don't fit neatly into these boxes? Does this mean you're "doing it wrong"? Virginia Ironside's book is one of the most honest accounts I have ever read and is unapologetic in its portrayal of the "rage of bereavement". With unflinching honesty she has drawn on her own experiences, and those of other people, and has made it clear that there is no blueprint for grieving, that each individual needs to find their own way through the darkness of loss, to accept that it isn't something to "get over", rather it's something which will always be a part of you but that shouldn't prevent you from eventually being able to achieve a sense of peace. For me this hasn't been a book to read from cover to cover (although that may help others) but dipping in and out of it has been comforting at times, mainly because its raw honesty makes it devoid of the usual platitudes surrounding bereavement.