Book Review: A Grief Observed

It is no secret that I am a C. S. Lewis fan. I like his fiction, yes, but even more so his non-fiction. Lewis’s Mere Christianity was pivotal in me taking theism seriously. (I used to be a pantheist.) Recently I read Lewis’s autobiographical memoir A Grief Observed, about his journey through his mourning for his wife. A Grief Observed is a rather short book (only four chapters) and as with all Lewis’s books, it reads really easy. The title makes it clear that it is about “a grief” and not grief in general, so the book may resonate with some more than others.

A Grief Observed is a very honest telling of Lewis’s questions, lamentations and doubts during this time. Most importantly is his frank questioning of God in his own anguish, but also in the suffering of his wife.

I think that A Grief Observed is an important read for all C. S. Lewis fans. It follows on an earlier book of his, The Problem of Pain. While the latter is a more academic grappling with pain, A Grief Observed is a personal grappling with it.