“Books are like people: some of them stop you in your tracks and demand closer attention. This is one of those books. The writing is elegant and engaging. Holinger weaves the anthropological, the historical, and the cultural, from ancient Greek texts to contemporary film and fiction, to enrich her depiction of the “cascade of sorrows” that is grief.”

“A gift. . . . With the use of case studies, literature, and historical context, Holinger illustrates grief in a way that educates readers and resonates with our varied experiences.”

“Dorothy Holinger’s exploration of the contours of grief is wise, moving, thought-provoking, and, best of all, extraordinarily helpful. Beautifully written and humane, it is a balm for the bereaved.”

“Holinger teases out…intimate connections, and the psychology of the broken heart, fusing science and the humanities, in her introspective and poetic book.”

“Holinger’s orchestration of different voices describing the vicissitudes of their anguish is often moving. . . . [She] respects the stinging particularity of the grieving process, but she also wants people to know they are not alone in their sadness.”