Through a Glass Darkly

Author: Caroline Jones
Publisher: ABC Books
Price: $35.00

Jones' dark journey

Through a Glass Darkly is the first book in a decade for writer and ABC broadcaster Caroline Jones. This book follows Jones on a deeply personal journey of grief as she deals with the loss of her father.

The first section of the book is dedicated to Jones’ father and floats between present and past to paint a picture of this man that meant so much to her - a man once so strong and vital who is now fighting to stay alive. Jones uses excerpts from her father’s unpublished memoir to tell the story of his life and illustrate the joy he once had compared with the helplessness and pain that currently consumes him.

Walking with Jones as she reflects on times spent with her father in the most heartbreaking detail is both confronting and sobering. Why in death do a loved one’s most annoying habits and foibles become endearing?

The balance of the book accompanies Jones through the seven years that follow her father’s death and how on a daily basis she tries to survive the grief - a grief that wakes her in the middle of the night and makes her heart stop and stomach ache. Jones battles darkness every day experiencing disbelief, a broken heart, guilt, and fear all the while mustering the strength to spend time on a planet that no longer contains the person she loves.

Jones is a devout Catholic, and the book explores in great detail the negative repercussions of this loss on her faith, and her desperation to find answers in an array of places from cathedrals to clairvoyants. She searches for something, anything that will resuscitate her, make her feel less broken and provide her with some hope.

“Why are we given the capacity to love with such intensity, to take responsibility for each other and to persevere with challenging relationships if it all ends? What is the point?”

Through a Glass Darkly is beautifully written. The language used is deliciously raw and honest however the overly descriptive style is surprisingly difficult to read and at times tedious. Also some of the sentiments may not resonate with those readers that are not deeply religious but that aside there are many reassuring and touching conclusions and thoughts for those dealing with death.

“You carry the grief with you in varying degrees. It becomes part of you. Yet as time goes on grief is not all that there is. At its worst it is disabling but as I’ve grown through it. I believe I have gained a more profound perspective on life, a new depth of spiritual maturity and an altered image of God.”

Lisa O'Donnell

Send us your feedback on this review