Book Review: The Golden Sky

Book: The Golden Sky

Genre: Non-Fiction / Memoir 

Author: EC Stilson

Cover Critique:

The cover of the book beautifully illustrates the title and tagline of the book, “the golden sky comes after the storm”. The theme of “loss and hope” underlining this memoir comes forward in the form of the picture shown on the cover.

Book Blurb:

The “death home” gave him a really nice funeral, the kind I’d never wished to attend. When they tried closing his casket, I nearly fell on my face, not wanting them to shut the lid on my baby. We lost it after that, totally cemented in our grief. Cade got into drugs, joined a rock and roll band, and even grew out his damn hair. It was slow at first, but Cade reverted to the man I’d busked with years before. It wasn’t until I killed a rogue skunk, and my daughter nearly choked on a fry, that I gave my husband another chance. But could our marriage recover from the death of our son? - (Courtesy: Amazon.com)

Review:

I love to read memoirs as they are “a window to the writer’s life” and tell you something very personal and close to the writer’s heart. But while every memoir writer tries to be as sincere as possible, only a few achieve that high standard of leaving a deep imprint on the reader’s mind. This book is one of those exceptions who not only touch a reader’s life in inscrutable ways but also make them learn a thing or two along the way. When I picked up this book and read the back cover, it pulled me right in and I finished the book in one sitting.

The book is written in the form of “entries”. It is like reading the pages from a diary, only it is no more private! The author invites the reader in her life through this up, close and personal account. The book starts when she is married and pregnant with her second child, Zeke. She soon finds out that the child she is carrying in her womb is suffering from many defects and if he will come into this world, his chances of survival will be very low. This news brings her life to a standstill but nonetheless she decides to deliver her son. Sadly enough, she loses him only a few months after his birth.

The “entries” are divided into chapters which are aptly named: “Searching”, “Found”, “Lost”, “Resurrected” and “Closure”. The writing is flawless from start till the end. It did cause me an emotional upheaval but the second part of the book is uplifting where you will find humour and get introduced to “The Understudy”, “The Cowboy”, the stripper and weird yet lovable characters. You will also get a sneak peek into her relationship with her husband Cade.

My favourite part was when Cade leaves special notes for her to get her back in his life. Also, I loved Ruby’s personality, her perceptions and her way of expressing her love for Zeke. The story in which she buys balloons for Zeke because she thinks that there are no “bawoons” (balloons) in heaven, is precious! She is such an adorable little angel.

What I liked about this “journal”? Everything! That’s because there was nothing that I could dislike about the honest “entries” written straight from the heart. This is not just a tear-jerking and heart-rending memoir about the pain and trauma of losing an infant child. It also deals with the gradual healing of grief and sorrow that comes with “faith” in God and “hope” which follows with the passage of time.

More importantly, it has a “universal theme” of mother-child relationship, a bond created by God which is special and one of its kind. It also taught me a lot about life, love, marriage and other important relationships, the insecurities and the unpredictability of life, vulnerability of a human being and to have the ability and guts to deal with those odds in an optimistic manner.

There are so many philosophical lines packed in just 300 pages of this book. In the last entry of her journal, the author quotes her dad’s words and I think they sum up “the whole enigma of life” superbly! Let me quote those ‘pearls of wisdom’ from the book so you get an idea of what I am talking about:

“At the end of storm is a golden sky. 

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart, and you will never walk alone”. 

What a gem of a book! I am going to keep this book on the top of my bookshelf so I can read it again. This book serves as an excellent motivational and inspirational dose in times of depression and loneliness. Highly recommended!

Review Girl Rating: 10/10

“I would like to thank EC Stilson for sending me a free paperback of this book, for the purpose of reviewing it on my blog. To buy this book on Amazon, click here.” 

Here is a captivating Video Trailer of "The Golden Sky":

Have you lost a loved one? Have you read this memoir and think that it has a therapeutic effect on you? Was this review helpful? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts. Thanks.