Mourning Has Broken – Carol Balawyder

I’ve just reviewed Mourning has broken by Carol Balawyder. Carol Balawyder was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec and now lives in Montreal. She taught ESL and criminology for many years. Now, retired, she concentrates her time on writing crime novels, memoirs (see Mourning Has Broken under C.A. Balawyder)and women’s fiction. She is the author of Open for Business, Windows on Sci-Tech and her stories have appeared in Room Magazine, The Anthology of Canadian Writers and Mindful.org.
You can visit her at http://www.carolbalawyder.com

Mourning Has Broken offers a moving and poignant look at grief and loss. In this collection of narrative non-fiction essays, the author speaks from the heart not only about the death of a dear sister but also about the mourning of a mother, a father, a dear friend, a career and a religion.
Her sister’s death tore her heart apart. The grief she felt for her was more intense than any grief she ever felt for the death of someone dear to her. Perhaps it was the amalgamation of un-mourned griefs, or maybe it was because it was closer to home . To lose a parent puts your mortality next in line; to lose a sister, you are no longer in line – you have crossed the threshold.

When her mother died she wrote Don’t Bring me Flowers, an essay which is in this collection. In the weeks which followed her sister’s death , an urge to write an essay about her emerged . It was at page eighty that she realized the essay had flown off on its own and that she’d given herself a mission. For one year she would write about her mourning. In that year the author goes about her life as memories and myriads of emotions assail her.
Through it all, she explores the meaning of life and the changes of her own beliefs, taking the reader through a journey of sorrow, guilt, regret, joy and hope.
Readers who have known loss will find much to relate to in this book, and will particularly appreciate the author’s ability to be frank and open and at times humorous about feelings that might be difficult to acknowledge.

Tagged: Carol Balawyder, Memoir, Mourning Has Broken