Year I in Review: March '08 ~ A GRIEF OBSERVED by C. S. Lewis

A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis was our second selection for the month of March. It was very interesting to compare this volume with Madeleine L'Engle's Two-Part Invention. Madeleine L'Engle's narrative gave a lot of background information that helped us to understand how she dealt with the process of her husband's death, while C. S. Lewis revealed the agonizing questions of one recently bereaved as he wrestled with doubts in the days and months immediately following his wife's death.

We spent a few minutes trying to sort out the timeline of Lewis' relationship with Joy Gresham, for there was not much background information in the text and the explanatory notes vary depending upon which edition you read. Lewis and Joy's love was certainly as deep and strong as Madeleine and Hugh's, but the subtle way in which their romance blossomed after they were united in a civil union and the relatively short time they had together after their "church" marriage, certainly differs from Madeleine's marriage relationship that matured over four decades. We wondered if perhaps the brevity of their relationship, which was overshadowed at all times by Joy's cancer, made Lewis' grief that much more acute. We marveled at the brute honesty with which he questioned God and his faith and were relieved that he once again found a bedrock for his faith in God by the end of the book. Many people wrestle with similar feelings when they are faced with tragedy and personally confronted with the age-old problem of evil (how can a good God let bad things happen?), but it seemed that Lewis was particularly surprised by his questions and doubts. Perhaps with his sharp intellect and well-reasoned apologetics he had supposed that he understood God, but like Job, he was left with no adequate answers when his faith was put to the test.

This is a book that can comfort the grieving, but it really should be read in its entirety lest it lead to despair. For those who are not presently grieving, it can certainly help one to understand the questioning of faith and unsettling of one's worldview that can come with intense tragedy.

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Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstorff - another excellent resource on grief and faith.