The book raises questions about the nature of suffering and whether it is possible for humans to return to normal. ‘H.’ The summary of Helen Joy Davidman’s life below, unless cited otherwise, is based on information from the website of the C.S. A Grief Observed book summary : A mourning observation is made by exploring the processes felt by the human brain and mind during mourning. The book is divided into four parts, each headed with a Roman numeral, and each a collection of excerpts from his journals documenting scattered impressions and his continuously evolving state of mind. A Grief Observed is Lewis’ account of that grief, of his struggle to cope with the heart-wrenching agony that mere reason and intellectualism were so ill-equipped to explain. In fact, Lewis ultimately comes to a revolutionary redefinition of his own characterisation of God: experiencing gratitude for having received and experienced the gift of a true love. The period of his bereavement was marked by a process of moving in and out of various stages of grief and remembrance, and it becomes obvious that it heavily influenced his spirituality. watched a gallon of honey ooze into a slow-motion golden dance around a.

The book is extremely candid, and it details the anger and bewilderment he had felt towards God after H's death, as well as his impressions of life without her. The book questions the nature of grief, and whether or not returning to normalcy thereafter is even possible within the realm of human existence on earth.īased on a personal journal he kept, Lewis refers to his wife as 'H' throughout this series of reflections, and reveals that she had died from cancer only three years after their marriage.

A Grief Observed explores the processes which the human brain and mind undergo over the course of grieving. This intimate portait of bereavement and death recalls the authors experiences of the loss of his wife, as well as his evolving belief in God and his.

A grief observed sparknotes