In order to read Sukey Forbes’ The Angel in my Pocket, I had to break my personal rule against reading books about children who have died. It’s not denial -- I am all too aware that the unthinkable happens -- it’s that I tend to read for entertainment and forgo serious stories in favor of light-hearted romps.
But The Angel in my Pocket is much more than a story of the tragic death of six-year-old Charlotte. It is a story of family, legacy, history and relationships. It is the story of the journey through grief and the arrival on the other side, where loss becomes a part of you, but stops defining you. It is about how different people process grief differently and a reminder that all are okay. It is the honest telling of one mother’s search for understanding and willingness to consider all possibilities.
But mostly, it is the story of love and family, beautifully drawn and eloquently told that may change the way you view love, loss and what happens next.
I am so very glad I had the chance to “meet” Charlotte and the opportunity to share this journey with her mother. Thank you Sukey.
