Without Her, Rebecca Spiegel
Without Her, Rebecca Spiegel
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
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Without Her
A Chronicle of Grief and Love

Author: Rebecca Spiegel

Narrator: Shaina Summerville

Unabridged: 6 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Vibrance Press

Published: 04/15/2025


Synopsis

“What is comfort but a filament between past and present with some sort of future implied? In other words, safety. In other words, care. I know it is possible to find these things without her—I know they are there. But it can be so hard to ask. So much is unknown.” Rebecca Spiegel is working as a teacher in New Orleans when she learns of her sister’s suicide. Only after the funeral does shock give way to grief—and to many questions. How could Emily do this to herself? How could she have abandoned all those who loved her? And what could have been done differently to prevent this devastating loss? In the days and weeks that follow, Spiegel embarks on a search for answers. She unpacks family history, documents the last traces of her sister’s life, and questions what more she could have done to prevent her death. What she finds instead is that there is no narrative on the other side of grief like this. There is no answer, no easy resolution—only those that leave and those that keep living. Unflinchingly honest, visceral, and raw, this courageous elegy lays bare the hard realities of surviving the loss of a loved one.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tiffany on August 30, 2024

Writing about such a personal and traumatic experience is brave to begin with, but the honesty and raw emotion expressed in this memoir bring it to another plane. Grief contains such a wide variety of swirling emotions within it and can shift its projection from internal to external at the drop of a......more

Goodreads review by River on December 16, 2024

Such a powerful book. I read it non-stop for five days, unable to put it down. Spiegel’s ability to put into words the intensity of loving someone with such potent mental health challenges gave me companionship in my own similar journey. It was everything—sisterhood, painful love, facing grief, ackn......more

Goodreads review by Anush on December 27, 2024

I read this book during a transformative time in my life. I connected with the themes of grief and loss. The words felt heavy and real and honest. But the thing that I really found myself drawn to was the searching for answers. It's so true. We are all searching for answers, and sometimes we never g......more

Goodreads review by Uriel on September 24, 2024

There are a few books that move me emotionally to the point where I don't want them to end. I would choose to simply turn the pages back to one and start all over again. I am so engrossed with the voice, the people, and the sentimentality that it makes me sad when it all suddenly stops. Without Her......more

Goodreads review by Even Hurwitz on October 13, 2024

READ THIS BOOK! Rebecca Spiegel's memoir is a profound and beautifully written exploration of grief, love, and family dynamics in the face of overwhelming trauma. Although the subject matter -- the suicide of Ms. Spiegel's sister -- is difficult, the book is far from depressing. It is an intimate ye......more