Beyond the Darkness: A Gentle Guide for Living with Grief and Thriving After Loss

Moll (host of Christianity Today’s Surprised by Grief podcast), whose husband died unexpectedly in a hiking accident, has written a tender and beautiful book about the process of grieving and the blessings it can bring. Her writing is compelling and personal, yet never sentimental or oppressive. To read this book is to spend time with a soul lit by the spark of experience. Moll’s quietly profound message boils down to the idea that grief is something to be engaged, not avoided. Like the Way of the Cross, it is a fearful path, and yet it is the path that leads to grace. Grief cannot be overcome; it is not the enemy, but a companion; it is a fact that must be integrated into our lives if we are to live truly and authentically, Moll argues. Divided into three sections (preparation for the journey; tools for survival; the path ahead), Moll’s book truly is a guidebook to a life and place most readers hope to avoid, even as they know with certainty that they must one day make a home there. Like Virgil for Dante, Moll is a wise and loving guide.