I Promise It Won't Always Hurt Like This: 18 Assurances on Grief

by Clare Mackintosh

Overview

New York Times and international bestselling mystery author Clare Mackintosh makes her nonfiction debut with this deeply felt memoir of unfathomable loss, and infinite hope. 

"Grief has run through my life like thread through fabric; at times gossamer-thin and barely there, other times weaving thick, clumsy darns across the rips. In my grief I am a mother, a child, a sister, a wife, a woman, a friend. I am also a writer."

When Clare Mackintosh lost her five-week-old son, she soon discovered there are no neat, labeled stages of grief like so many books insist. The shape of each loss is different; when a parent, relative, or friend passes, we grieve the person in all their beauty, their humanity, their imperfections. For Clare, there was no preparing for the anger and excruciating ache of knowing her child's life would remain unlived. This is the book she needed then. 

Inspired by a viral Twitter thread Clare wrote on the anniversary of her son's death, this deeply honest, compassionate memoir will bring solace and encouragement to anyone who finds themselves walking with grief, whether for a season or for several years. It is for those who need a little voice saying: I Promise It Won't Always Hurt Like This, for the people who love them, and those who understand that great loss can be a window through which we see how powerful, and unending, love can be. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728281209
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	03/19/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	237,200
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Clare Mackintosh is a former police officer and a multi-award-winning author. Translated into forty languages, her books have sold more than two million copies worldwide and have been New York Times and international bestsellers. Mackintosh has spoken on television and radio about the death of her son and the themes of grief and healing, which consequently appear in her novels. She lives in North Wales with her family and can be found at claremackintosh.com, or on Instagram and Facebook at @ClareMackWrites

With over 2 million copies of her books sold worldwide, number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of I Let You Go, which was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It also won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2016. Both Clare's second and third novels, I See You and Let Me Lie, were number one Sunday Times bestsellers. Her first three thrillers were selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club, and together have been translated into forty languages. After the End was published in 2019 and became an instant Sunday Times bestseller, and in 2021 Hostage flew straight into the top ten. Her new crime series, featuring Welsh detective DC Ffion Morgan, has been critically acclaimed, with both The Last Party and A Game of Lies hitting the Sunday Times top ten. Together, her books have spent more than sixty-five weeks in The Sunday Times bestseller lists. Clare is patron of the Silver Star Society, a charity based at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, which supports parents experiencing high-risk or difficult pregnancies. She lives in North Wales with her husband and their three children.

Editorial Reviews

"Thank you, Clare Mackintosh, for every single word." — Sara Haines, host of The View

"She wrote this slim volume as an antidote to the countless books concerned loved ones gave her when she was grieving — which actually didn't help. Instead, Mackintosh compiled a series of stories and takeaways designed to help everyone." — Zibby Owens for Good Morning America

"No matter who you have lost or how recently you cried, you are not alone. Mackintosh and her indispensable book are right there with you." — Bookreporter

"Mackintosh delivers a salve for broken hearts. Readers who’ve been touched by loss will find comfort in these pages." — Publishers Weekly

"This heart-wrenching portrayal of loss and motherhood is a must-read." — SheReads

"Mackintosh’s words deliver because of her honesty and openness about getting past the pain. Highly recommended." — Library Journal

From the Publisher

04/01/2024

Grief is a beast. It is terrible. Losing a loved one can feel like hitting a wall of pain. Best-selling mystery author Mackintosh knows this firsthand. She makes her nonfiction debut with this memoir about the death of her infant son. She admits she compartmentalized her grief. She could not process her loss, and 14 years after her son's death, she was emotionally ambushed by it. On the anniversary of her son's death, she shared her thoughts online because she felt so alone in her grief. She also wanted to offer hope to people who, like her, who were still struggling with their grief. Through the response she received, she learned that grieving is an act and that everyone experiences it differently. Sometimes the smallest thing can trigger a painful memory. She wrote this book, supplying 18 "assurances" for the hard moments in the grieving process and to comfort those who read it and let them know they are not alone. VERDICT Mackintosh's words deliver because of her honesty and openness about getting past the pain. Highly recommended.—Laura Ellis

Library Journal