The Night Lake
A Young Priest Maps the Topography of Grief
by Liz Tichenor
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Jan 05 2021 | Archive Date Jan 05 2021
Counterpoint Press | Counterpoint
Talking about this book? Use #TheNightLake #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
Liz Tichenor has taken her newborn son, five weeks old, to the doctor, from a cabin on the shores of Lake Tahoe. She is sent home to her husband and two-year-old daughter with the baby, who is pronounced "fine" by an urgent care physician. Six hours later, the baby dies in their bed. Less than a year and a half before, Tichenor's mother jumped from a building and killed herself after a long struggle with alcoholism. As a very young Episcopal priest, Tichenor has to "preach the Good News," to find faith where there is no hope, but she realizes these terrible parts of her own life will join her in the pulpit.
The Night Lake is the story of finding a way forward through tragedies that seem like they might be beyond surviving and of carving out space for the slow labor of learning to live again, in grief.
Advance Praise
"Tichenor's courageous memoir is an exquisitely crafted, painfully beautiful chronicle of loss. She articulates the immensity of her feelings and emotions with unbridled candor that, at times, is difficult to read, but ultimately evokes hard-fought rebirth, resurrection and the presence of God . . . Navigating as a bereft wife and mother, a pastor, a friend and a daughter orphaned because of her mother's helplessness, Tichenor discovers that pain, joy and sadness can prove enlightening, buoying her with hope and eloquent moments of grace. A devastatingly beautiful memoir by a young mother and newly ordained Episcopal priest who is forced to reconcile the loss of her newborn son." —Kathleen Gerard, Shelf Awareness
"Heart-wrenching yet gorgeous . . . Tichenor’s honest and plush writing lets readers sink into her settings and emotions, whether in grief, hope, or wonder. Perfect for fans of Anne Lamott and any reader interested in the intersection of grief and faith." —Kathy Sexton, Booklist (starred review)
"A powerful, forthright chronicle of surviving profound loss." —Kirkus
"From an unspeakable loss, Liz Tichenor speaks. With a courage both heartrending and fierce, she traces a terrain of aching grace. The Night Lake is an astonishingly generous gift." —Jan Richardson, author of Sparrow: A Book of Life and Death and Life
"The Night Lake author Liz Tichenor uses spare, honest, muscular prose to tell a rending story of loss . . . In the face of planetary and individual death and grief, I learn again from The Night Lake that there are companions for us in this world, and that the world is suffused with overflowing love. Run—for she is a runner—with Tichenor—through the story of loss and love that is The Night Lake—it is a story for our time, for all of us." —Marc Andrus, Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of California
“When Tichenor suffers two tragic and primary losses in her late twenties, she collapses into grief, even as her calling as an Episcopal priest presses her to support others in theirs. With grace, humility, and even humor, she grounds the unfathomable in rituals ornate and ordinary. The result is a raw meditation on fear and courage, loss and love.” — Cynthia Li, MD, author of Brave New Medicine
"Written with extraordinary insight and grace, The Night Lake is a stunning and powerful reminder that tragedy can’t be overcome by avoidance; that surrendering to heartache loosens its grip; that true acceptance abides even the deepest pain." —Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, author of The Revisioners
“Such a sad, tough story, but finally so life-affirming, filled with spirit and love.” —Anne Lamott
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781640094062 |
| PRICE | $26.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 304 |
Featured Reviews
Charlotte J, Educator
Liz Tichenor's memoir of loss, love, grief, and hope is a gift that shimmers and aches. Her storytelling weaves poetically through years and communities, revealing the surprising strength she discovers as she traces her experience of living through and on this side of her newborn son's death and her mother's death.
This book may be hard reading for those who have experienced the loss of someone they love. The author doesn't "pretty-up" the rawness of her grief and anger. But Tichenor isn't permanently buried by her sadness. In her Christian faith, in its rituals and beliefs, the Episcopal priest is companioned by hope and sustained as much by mystical visions as she is by delicious meals with friends and her running life. It's a hopeful story, a story of new life springing out of and alongside death.
#NetGalley
Jennifer H, Reviewer
If you need to read something that will rip your heart out and then tear it to pieces, well, this is the book for you. The author goes through the excruciating details of her emotions after the tragic loss of her son. It's an incredibly tough read, but only because the author is so raw and vulnerable that it feels too close to home and too real. We've all lost someone, but I think so few of us are in touch with what really happened, like we're almost afraid to talk about it. This book is so incredible and even though it hurt my heart, it was definitely something I needed to read.
5/5 Stars
Media/Journalist 526791
This book was a devastating and meaningful portrayal of grief. I deeply admire the author for sharing her story and appreciate the chance to read it.
Sharon M, Reviewer
Many thanks to NetGalley and Counterpoint Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this memoir by Liz Tichenor - 5 stars for a devastatingly beautiful glimpse into the personal loss of Tichenor's 40-day-old baby boy.
Liz and Jesse Tichenor were settling into their life in Lake Tahoe, with Jesse running a religious camp and Liz an Episcopalian priest, dividing her duties between the camp and a church in Reno. Liz's mother's death by suicide after long-time alcoholism issues was still a gaping hole that she was dealing with. They were parents of 2-year-old Alice and newborn Fritz. When Fritz inexplicably died in the middle of the night, their world collapsed. This is the story of how Liz found her way through her grief with her faith, her friends and family, and running.
This book is raw and real. I'm not sure I've ever read such a intimate look into someone's grief and how she dealt with it on a daily basis. Liz had to not only deal with her and her husband's grief but had to explain to Alice what happened to Fritz. And how could she stand in front of her congregation and speak of hope and positivity when her world had caved in? There were so many touching moments in this book - Liz is remarkably blessed with a community of friends who were there for her in such a close and personal way. I loved the baby shower idea with the handwritten notes and how friends opened their hearts and homes for Liz and Jesse and helped them process their grief together. I loved the spirituality in this book and the visions Liz had that helped her move forward. Ultimately, this is a story of hope in moving forward into a new normal. This is a difficult read but it's also beautifully written - I couldn't put it down.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Elizabeth Passarella
Essays & Collections, Humor & Satire, Religion & Spirituality
