Finding Lily by Lisa D. Ellis is a very emotional story that is very likely to break your heart and yet ultimately offer hope. Claire and her husband Jim had anxiously awaited the birth of their first child Lily and are devastated when they lose her shortly after she is born. Everywhere Claire turns there are reminders of her baby girl and she outwardly grieves. She cries and is unmotivated to do anything at all. In contrast her husband Jim throws himself into his work and tries to move on. Needless to say this infuriates Claire who feels if he can’t outwardly grieve their daughter, then he must not have loved her. Not knowing what else to do Claire escapes to a live for a while in a lighthouse that she had visited and loved as a child.
When Claire arrives she revels in the solitude thinking it exactly what she needed. There are no reminders of Lily here. The time there will give her the space she needs to sort through her grief and her feelings on her marriage. As the weeks go by Claire feels certain she can feel her daughter’s presence there with her and it comforts her. When she discovers some old love letters of the woman who lives there year round they cause her to reflect on her own marital problems. Yet she also remembers meeting her husband on this very island and falling in love with him. Does the loss of their child also mean the loss of their marriage? Claire just doesn’t know.
Finding Lily isn’t the easiest book to read at times. I can’t imagine losing a child as I barely survived losing my dog. I did relate to this book in a lot of ways because many, many years ago one of my best friends lost her first baby as he was stillborn. I was there for his birth and later witnessed much of the same emotions that Claire experiences and it was heartbreaking.
I think one of the biggest things to note is not everyone deals with grief the same way in a marriage and this novel portrays that perfectly. While Claire wears her emotions on her sleeve, Jim does not and neither way is wrong but it’s easy to see how it can cause conflict in a marriage. The person literally falling apart simply cannot understand how their partner can go on and live each day as they did before. I’m one of those falling apart people so again I identified with Claire. Ultimately I think Finding Lily is a novel of hope and healing. It’s weird to say I enjoyed a book that broke my heart but I did. I would say that this would make a fantastic book club pick as there is a lot to discuss from losing a child to the effects it has on a marriage. Finding Lily is well worth reading but have a box of tissues nearby.
Finding Lily by Lisa D. Ellis is on tour with Premier Virtual Author Book Tours so be sure to check out the other tour stops for more thoughts on the book. You can connect with Lisa on her website, Facebook, and Twitter. Your own copy of Finding Lily can be purchased at Amazon, Amazon Canada, B&N, and SoulMate Publishing.
Source: Review copy provided by Virtual Author Book Tours and the Publisher. No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.
I read this! I will be reviewing it in a few weeks. It was very heartbreaking! I thought it was very well written.
Nice review Dar!
This would be a heartbreaking book to read I think, but very important for people who have lived through such a thing. Or if you can’t get enough stories about lighthouses 🙂
Thanks for taking part in the tour. I’m so glad you enjoyed Finding Lily. I agree, a box of tissue is needed!
This sounds quite sad, so I’m glad it’s also (ultimately) hopeful. Very nice review, Darlene.
Darlene, Thanks for your lovely review of my novel. I am so glad you hosted the book on your blog! And thanks to all who commented. Although the topic of loss in FINDING LILY is inherently sad, I am a wimp about sad books myself so I had to go for a happy ending! That’s why Claire finds a way to make her journey more interesting and it’s really much more a book of hope, rather than of grief…and it’s also about marriage and how couples can make things work when their relationship becomes unglued… Thank you again!
Great review!! Sounds like a really emotional book!
wow beautiful review, the story sounds deep and emotional 🙁 I can’t image what the main character must have went through!