For fans of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking or David Sheff’s Beautiful Boy, this debut memoir about a mother grieving her young-adult son’s death is a must-read for any parent who has lost a child or whose child struggles with addiction.
When Sally learns that her twenty-one-year-old son Christopher died tragically in a boat accident, her greatest fear is realized. Christopher was often drawn to risk and struggled with addiction, and in this riveting memoir, Sally captures the wild ride of his jam-packed life and her deep love for him while also reflecting on her own childhood and family legacy of alcoholism.
This book is for any parent raising a child from the edge of their seat, or for those suffering the trauma of losing a child. Sally shares insights about what it’s like to experience the emotional aftershocks of acute grief, and readers may see themselves in Sally’s bittersweet illusion of trying to keep Christopher safe; in how she is challenged to let go of her fear, guilt, and regret in order to forgive herself; and in the ways grief teaches her about the power of love. Reaching for Beautiful is a luminous story of how love triumphs over pain, love transcends fear, and love never dies.
“The most enduring books write us and touch on the common human journey. Reaching for Beautiful is such a book. What Sally McQuillen endured in bringing a child into the world only to lose him decades later holds lessons for us all. Her brave and tender story will make any reader value life and our chance to be here more.”—Mark Nepo, author of You Don’t Have to Do It Alone and The Half-Life of Angels
“Sally McQuillen has given the world a great gift: the chance to feel a mother’s broken heart and see how she transformed her grief into a gentle peace. Anyone who has lost someone they love will be stronger for reading this powerful and tender book.”— Meg Kissinger, author of the best-selling While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence
“Powerful . . . honest . . . and inspiring, Reaching for Beautiful is a heartfelt journey through a mother’s grief experience, moving from darkness to light. It demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit, allowing for deep, authentic faith, purpose and meaning after unimaginable loss.” —Rebecca Rosen, spiritual medium and author of What’s Your Heaven?
“In Reaching for Beautiful, McQuillen shares her story with ineffable grace and insight, showing us how ‘over time the light outshines the darkness.’ Whatever hardship you are facing, reading this book will have you believing that her mission is beacon-possible.” —Laura Munson, founder of the Haven Writing Programs and New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of This Is Not The Story You Think It Is and Willa’s Grove
