Never Better, Gonzalo Riedel
Never Better, Gonzalo Riedel
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Never Better
Two Kids, Their Dad, and His Wife's Ghost

Author: Gonzalo Riedel

Narrator: Kyle Snyder

Unabridged: 4 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/28/2024


Synopsis

His wife died before their second son turned one. How can he keep her memory alive when there's so much he wants to forget?

There was a time before his wife got sick when Gonzalo could think about other things. Where humor was more than a coping mechanism. Life wasn't all about treatments and recovery, or the emptiness he felt when she died.

They had kids together. Young kids. Less than a year after their youngest was born and suddenly he was strapping them both into their car seats to drive to their mother's funeral.

He used to think he was the glue holding the household together. It didn't take long for him to realize how wrong he'd been. A grieving husband is in no condition to raise kids alone. There were times when he wanted to toss himself into a raging river that would suck him under and bash his skull on the rocks. That's always an option for another day. For now, he'll just squash those feelings and drive the kids to daycare.

Does it get easier? Of course. But not right away. They say that hope only comes at the end of a long dark journey, but that isn't entirely true because the journey never really ends. But that means there's good news: hope is everywhere you look.

About Gonzalo Riedel

Gonzalo Riedel is a writer and editor. He lives in Winnipeg with his two children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Maria on September 30, 2023

A raw and unflinching look at grief after the death of a loved one.......more

Goodreads review by Lori on March 01, 2024

Be prepared to cry - Never Better is a brutally honest book about grief. It’s heartbreaking but hopeful, with bits of humor sprinkled in too. It bounces between timelines very effectively and is a well written narrative of love and loss.......more

Goodreads review by Sharon on March 20, 2024

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this memoir by Gonzalo Riedel - 5 stars! Less than a year after their youngest son was born, Gonzalo's wife, Erica, died from appendix cancer. He was suddenly a single dad, raising two small boys, grieving the love of his life......more

Goodreads review by Shanna on February 29, 2024

Gonzalo's style of writing with short sections/no chapters, while easily and seamlessly bouncing back and forth through specific timelines and stories keeps readers engaged. That's just the technical stuff... He wrote this very personal heartfelt story of love, loss, stressful parenting and every ot......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie on February 15, 2024

I received a free copy from Dundurn Press in exchange for an honest review. I found myself riding a rollercoaster of feelings reading Never Better. The short "chapters" made for a relatively fast paced read but I had to take time with the raw emotions written on the pages. At times I felt it was too......more