"torch" by cheryl strayed

Cheryl Strayed is a writer who excels at writing about loss. Loss of one's own life, of a loved one, of the life before losing someone. The novel is about the life of a family before and after the death of Teresa, the mother of two children, Claire and Joshua, and the wife of their stepfather, Bruce.

Cancer is a common disease now. Many die of it. So, naturally, stories about cancer are pretty common; and yet each is extremely personal and special--the desperation, the tears, the heartbreaking moments of intimacy and sorrow. Strayed captures these with such honesty it is really touching; and by telling the story from four different perspectives, she makes it clear that in grief we are all alone.