WINTER days are made for reading. Nothing slaps with massive compact efficiency as spending a lazy, frosty afternoon in your bed donning smelly PJs with your favourite book and a mug of nutty blackest coffee ever known to humankind. Or a glassful of earthy gin or whatever your poison is, for the tipplers.
Fortunately, as this year’s July takes on her chilly traverse into the multiverse of what’s rumoured to be a rigid brumal, there are lots of great reads coming to a bookstore or library near you. In fact, UK-based Zimbabwean author and #enthuse columnist Brill Pongo has released another book entitled “Grief Sucks But Hope Again“.
The new book, appellated as Pongo’s memoir of loss and pain and a heartfelt account of a journey of grief and grieving, includes a collection of reflections, poems and musings, to help, encourage and inspire. In it, we are told the author embraces topics of loneliness, grief attacks, hope, love, and creating meaning as he learns to live fully with his grief.
Speaking to this writer from his UK residency, Pongo – who inconsolably suffered the loss of his beloved wife Tshidz who succumbed to cancer three years ago – said the work is him sharing his experiences of how he dealt with some very difficult situations, during his grieving.
“This book is a memoir of my grieving journey. I talk about the process of grieving, the journey with grief as it were. Look at what psychologists say and how it relates or not to lived experiences. I venture to explore cultural differences that affect the way we mourn and grieve. I outline some difficulties faced by migrants who live in the diaspora and the challenges of deciding where to bury a loved one. Where do you call home, the place you relocated to or the place you originally came from? I also share personal experiences about the family fallouts and strained relationships with the in-laws, and I offer insights on how friends can help someone who is grieving,” said the author.
While he has made quite a copper-bottomed name in the genre in recent years, Pongo rebuffed that Grief Sucks But Hope Again is not a self-help book on how to cope with death and loss. Rather, he said, “it is an honest, raw and personal account” of his descent into the Madness of Grief.
“Funny, sad, touching and thought-provoking, it reminds us that grief has no normality, no time limit and, most importantly, no rules,” said the seasoned author.
Out on the 24th of June, Grief Sucks But Hope Again is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones.
