A review by laurenleigh
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis

emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

I randomly came across this when looking to see what else Ralph Cosham narrated, and I thought it looked interesting. In the midst of losing his wife, Lewis wrote his thoughts and feelings down in a journalistic manner. I don’t believe it was ever intended for publishing, at least at first, but I’m glad it was. I think most people read this short work when they’re in the midst of grief themselves, and I could see how therapeutic that would be. But it was also interesting to read while in a happy, stable place. I could look at the piece more objectively. Lewis has a true gift for conceptualizing the ineffable, and I found the work beautifully poignant. Fair warning if Christianity is at all triggering for you, because a lot of Lewis’ loss is coupled with a loss of faith. But also if you know anything at all about C. S. Lewis, you shouldn’t be surprised by this! There were a lot of brilliant metaphors as Lewis is processing his grief, but the one that’s sticking with me is when he compares faith with a rope. You may think it’s perfectly strong and stable when it’s lying around unused, but if you suddenly need to hang from a steep cliff, do you still trust in its strength? I applaud Lewis for questioning his faith in this process. We have this idea that the truest faith is never challenged, as if blind acceptance is the most sincere way to believe. But I think real faith is that which one returns to, even after wrestling with it. Not that I don’t have my own qualms with Christianity in some respects, but I’m running out of room here! 😅
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