Speaking Grief By Laurie Hole

Article by Jess Wilkins, Suicide Bereavement Advisor

4/ 5 stars

‘Grief will likely change you but doesn't define you’ 

Laurie Hole, qualified therapist and founder of The Curiously Kind Counseller, speaks to unseen grievers in her new book Speaking Grief. Calling upon her own life experience of losing her father in her early adulthood, Hole takes us on a gentle journey through an alphabet of raw and honest emotions accompanying grief. 

Hole confidently covers a comprehensive breadth of subjects in her book. From touching upon emotions such as jealousy, disconnection and fear to practical concerns such as funerals and grief admin, it feels as if our hands are held unapologetically and nonjudgmentally as we navigate this foreign terrain of loss together. This book clearly holds the reader in mind even in the smallest of details from her hopeful yet honest tone to the ease of reading with short chapters and large font. Speaking Grief can easily be read in bitesize chunks but remains difficult to put down for too long. A special touch I found was at the end of each chapter, Hole provides a selection of thoughtful journal prompts to make this an active and impactful read. Either just answered in your mind, on the page or separate journal, we have the power to bring our own unique grief to this generalisable yet very relatable book. 

The only thing I would highlight in Speaking Grief is that Hole correlates this to loss in your 20s and 30. However this is never truly touched upon in the book and I believe it remains applicable to grief anywhere in your adulthood, I fear this will prevent other readers from finding this gem of a book!