This Shining Life

Praise

“A welcome lesson to writers of tragedy that death can incorporate every emotion in the world, including laughter, anger, and selfishness, and still be honest and touching. Kline has given a difficult subject a loving, tender, and occasionally funny tone which is pleasing and very satisfying.”—ON Magazine
 
“By exploring how each of the characters felt and behaved, as well as showing their individual perspectives on shared experiences, [Kline] not only added layers of emotional depth to her storytelling but also very effectively demonstrated that there is no magic ‘blueprint’ for successfully negotiating the bereavement and the grieving process.”—NB magazine
 
“I loved this exquisitely written novel for its terrific characterization. . . . Unforgettable.”—Sue Leonard, Irish Examiner
 
“A poignant story.”—Woman
 
“[One of] summer’s best new reads.”—Waitrose Weekend

“A beautifully written and endlessly touching debut that’s sure to tug your heartstrings.”—Phaedra Patrick, author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

“Harriet Kline’s This Shining Life captivated me because it’s peopled with lovely and lovable characters who are all trying to solve the problem of grief. This beautiful book shows us that grief is not a problem to solve but an expression of love, as we watch a family come together in the most heartwarming way.”—Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward

“Poignant but never maudlin, sweet but never saccharine, This Shining Life gives us a heartbroken family, complicated and familiar in the best ways, going through the hardest of times but finding love and hope and, especially, one another.”—Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is

“Harriet Kline gifts us with an authentic child’s voice, and a sensitive exploration of not only the pain but the beauty of grief.”—Rajeev Balasubramanyam, author of Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss

“Harriet Kline masterfully captures how differently grief can manifest itself in each of us, how all-consuming and life-altering it sometimes can be. I felt deeply for each of these characters as they embarked on their journeys through Rich’s illness and passing, and of course the aftermath. I loved Ollie and often wanted to reach through the pages to hug and comfort him. This story is sure to stay with me for a long time.”—Rhiannon Navin, author of Only Child

“An exquisitely beautiful and compelling novel about love, loss, and life.”—Rachel Joyce, New York Times bestselling author of Miss Benson’s Beetle

“[A] careful and affectionate portrayal of a family coping with loss . . . With every hard-earned realization, Kline offers a sense of awe, which is so necessary in this fraught time.”—Booklist
(starred review)

“Poignant . . . [An] assured first novel . . . with a crisp pace, complex characters, and an unflinching depiction of how grief can blindside us . . . ”—Kirkus Reviews