My book Relating Suicide: A Personal and Critical Perspective was published by Bloomsbury Press in 2023. Based on my own experience of losing my sister to suicide over twenty years ago, I reflect on the ongoing effects of this complex form of grief.
The chapters of the book follow the process of bereavement through time. In the first chapter, I look at the days and weeks following the death, focusing on the immediate shock of what has happened. The second chapter looks at the months after the death, examining the inquest process. I turn in the last chapter to the continuing effects of grief, which ebb and flow over the years.
Throughout the book, I am interested in how I and others have turned to objects to relate the story of suicide. I also look at the significance of place in relation to grief. The book brings into view the ordinary objects and places with which suicide is often associated for those who are left behind. In doing so, I seek to destigmatise suicide and to indicate how we might better relate to those who have lost a loved one to suicide.
Blog posts related to this project can be found here.