Everything's Fine

EVERYTHING'S FINE

by Charlotte Forster

When Charlotte's husband dies from cancer, she's left navigating widowhood, grief and solo motherhood while trying to somehow keep life moving for herself and their young daughter.

But Charlotte's story doesn't begin or end with loss. Within a few short weeks she becomes a cancer patient herself. She comes to know what it's like to be the person sitting beside a hospital bed - and the person lying in one. She knows the fear of bad news, and the strange reality of carrying on when your word is falling apart.

There are no neat five stages of grief here. Instead, there are school runs, inappropriate laughter, difficult anniversaries, dating again, parenting through heartbreak and the constant pressure to appear as though everything is, somehow, fine.

And then, unexpectedly, life begins again.

Everything's Fine is a darkly funny, brutally honest memoir about love, loss, motherhood, survival and the wonderfully messy business of putting yourself back together. It's about discovering that grief doesn't disappear - you simply learn how to make room for it alongside everything else.

Because sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit that everything is absolutely not fine...

...and carry on anyway.