It is never easy to discuss grief without resorting to clichés but
Grief is a funny thing.
‘Hilarious’ I hear you say. But what I mean is that we have
all, without exception, lost somebody precious, somebody irreplaceable and most of us recover from it. But when that
everyday occurrence falls especially close to us, it can leave us floored.
The loss of a child is probably the worst scenario anyone
can experience. We expect our children to outlive us; they represent a little
piece of us that will carry us into the future. Such a loss is the most
difficult to accept.
But, even when death comes after a long illness and is verbally
hailed as a 'happy release', the fall-out often presents a huge emotional mountain for
those left behind. At such times we can only try to think of happier days and
be thankful for the laughter and the happiness the deceased enjoyed during
their time on Earth.
It is possible to celebrate death as a life well-spent and
take comfort from the fact that although the person (to risk another cliché) may be gone
they will never be forgotten. As long as we remember them, they live on in some small
way and by talking about them, reminiscing about the special moments of their lives, we heal ourselves and allow them to live again.
Day by day, although it may not seem like it, we are healing,
and as the pain subsides so the memories become sweeter. But occasionally death
falls so unexpectedly that the bereaved are left reeling and struggle to carry
on as they did before.
My novella Where the West Wind Blows deals with
bereavement, grief and healing. Fiona Japp is one of those people who lack the psychological
strength to carry on as before. When her
husband suffers a sudden and catastrophic heart attack early one Sunday morning
Fiona descends into a pit of despair that is so deep she has no wish to even
try to crawl out of it. Initially she may come across as weak and you may think from your
(hopefully) happier perspective that she needs to get a grip. But Fiona isn't weak, she is just broken and needs
your understanding. There are millions of us every day suffering as Fiona does
and by looking at her predicament and providing her with a happy outcome, I
hope I have shown that there really can be life after death.
Until James has gone, Fiona does not realise how much she has
relied on him and without his support, she has no idea how to operate as a single
person. The mental collapse she suffers is so intense and prolonged that she gives herself up to her despair and runs away, unconsciously embarking upon a whole new life path.
Desperate to escape a pain that cannot be escaped, she turns
her back on herself and her previous life. With no expectation of ever rediscovering happiness she ends up in the
small Welsh seaside village where an encounter with the reclusive Jezz McAlister
on a lonely cliff top reveals a mental anguish even greater than her own.
A review
of Mary Middleton’s novella WHERE THE WEST WIND BLOWS
This lovely title is perfect for this absorbing story.
Fiona’s husband James succumbs to a fatal heart attack right at the beginning,
leading to a veritable maelstrom of personal heartbreak and loss, which anyone
who has suffered bereavement will understand and find intensely moving.
It is written in the first person, which means we are drawn
right into the depths of despair with our heroine, who goes through the
turbulent storm of trying to find some way to be able to move on and build a
new life. Despite her efforts she fails in this, largely because she has no
wish to go on without James...
Mary Middleton’s writing probes the very essence of the
tragedy of trying to make the transition from being a couple to being single,
with all its disappointments and delusions, and by the time Fiona is eventually
able to move to a small cottage in
Wales, we have come to realise how difficult this will be for her, as the storm
of loss and anger still rages.
There is only a short period of balmy breezes, with lovely
descriptions of the small Welsh village and its kindly but narrow-minded
inhabitants, before the turbulence is with us again, with the appearance of Mr
McAlister, who blows in. We are not at all sure which way the wind will blow
now!
There are still surprises to come, and it is a pleasure and
a privilege to enter into this slice of Fiona’s life, and accompany her on the
journey to calmer waters...but not too calm, for surely the best lives are
always lived in a stiff but invigorating breeze?
Another triumphant page turner for Mary Middleton, with
penetrating observation and deep empathy for her characters, don’t miss it! - Helen
Spring- Author of Memories of the Curlew, Strands
of Gold and The Chainmakers
From the back cover of Where
the West Wind Blows
When bereavement turns Fiona Japp’s life upside down she
cannot find her way forward. Abandoning
her career, her home and her past, she escapes to a tiny hamlet on the Welsh
coast, where her anguish is diluted in the rain, blown by the winds and finally
extinguished by a suffering even greater than her own.
Where the West Wind Blows is a story of loss, mental collapse
and healing, proving that there really is life after sudden death.
Set amid the splendid scenery of the west coast of Wales,
the landscape and atmosphere is as dramatic as the story. This short novella
will blow you away.
Where the West Wind Blows is a departure for Mary Middleton who
is known mainly for her light romance novels. This novella is very different.
There is not a muscle-bound billionaire in sight as Mary traces the dark and
stormy internal battles of two very different people struggling to come to
terms with personal tragedy.
Where the West Wind Blows is now available in Paperback direct from the publisher. Click here to purchase.
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