Wholly original and deeply moving, Hooper's reflective volume - prompted by the necessity of telling her two young sons about their father's terminal illness - traces grief and loss through the pages of beloved children's books.
From the bestselling author of The Tall Man and The Arsonist, a personal tale about death, life and the enchantment of stories. With illustrations by Anna Walker.
When Chloe Hooper's partner is diagnosed with a rare and aggressive illness, she has to find a way to tell their two young sons.
By instinct, she turns to the bookshelf. Can the news be broken as a bedtime tale? Is there a perfect book to prepare children for loss?
Hooper embarks on a quest to find what practical lessons children's literature-with its innocent orphans and evil adults, magic, monsters and anthropomorphic animals-can teach about grief and resilience in real life.
As she discovers, 'the right words are an incantation, a spell of hope for the future.' From the Brothers Grimm to Frances Hodgson Burnett and Tolkien and Dahl-all of whom suffered childhood bereavements-she follows the breadcrumbs of the world's favourite authors, searching for the deep wisdom in their books and lives.
Both memoir and manual, Bedtime Story is stunningly illustrated by Anna Walker.
In an age of worldwide uncertainty, here is a profound and moving exploration of the dark and light of storytelling.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
ISBN: 9781398510586
Number of pages: 256
Dimensions: 216 x 153 mm
‘This book is a miracle of light and meaning-making from one of our finest writers. Venturing inward with extraordinary grace, Hooper explores – and extends – the long literary line surging with our deepest inherited wisdom about how to embrace our finite lives. The result is nothing less than the hero's journey we have been collectively starving for. Telling you this is like trying to describe the sun; it is a book so powerful and beautiful – so utterly its own – that it can only be experienced directly.’ Sarah Krasnostein - Sarah Krasnostein
Please sign in to write a review
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
