After the sudden death of her father, Dr. McMurry was unprepared for the intensity of grief that consumed her. She discovered that nothing in her medical training helped her navigate this experience. As a researcher, she set out to examine not only the emotional side of bereavement, but also the body's neurobiological response to loss.

This book is a raw, honest look at loss, melancholy, mortality, and hope. Gently weaving memories from her childhood with the trauma of grief, she constructs a framework based in scientific research. This book is for anyone who has experienced loss, as well as for those who care for others who grieve.