Until It Was Gone

A Contemporary Family Novel of Resilience and Hope

by David B. Seaburn

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Pub Date Dec 12 2024 | Archive Date Jan 29 2025

Black Rose Writing

Literary Fiction | Parenting & Families

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Description

When, at the end of their fortieth anniversary dinner, Laney announces she's leaving Franklin, he's stunned and asks if she ever loved him, to which she answers, "Yes, until it was gone."

Laney leaves for the Oklahoma panhandle in search of Roz, their estranged daughter, who left home at sixteen, and the nineteen-year-old granddaughter, Maggie, Laney has never met.

Shortly after she leaves, Franklin contracts COVID which morphs into long COVID. His episodes of fogginess and disorientation awaken memories of abuse at the hands of his father. His sister comes to take care of him, but she needs to return home soon for the sentencing of a mass murderer who killed her husband.

If that weren't enough, Maggie becomes pregnant and, due to medical complications, needs an abortion, but she lives in a state where it's outlawed. What will she do? Where will she go? Will the family find the resilience to come together for everyone's sake?

Until It Was Gone tells of a family trying to make life work while being pummeled by the exigencies of contemporary society. It celebrates the thin strands of hope that hold us together and move us forward.

When, at the end of their fortieth anniversary dinner, Laney announces she's leaving Franklin, he's stunned and asks if she ever loved him, to which she answers, "Yes, until it was gone."

Laney leaves...

Advance Praise

"Seaburn creates a thoroughly engrossing contemporary story of a family in turmoil... It's perfect...for individual(s)...book clubs and reading groups interested in the intersection between family growth and social change...Libraries that choose Until It Was Gone for their collections will want to highly recommend it to readers..." -Midwest Book Review

"Readers who appreciate realistic, emotionally charged narratives will find this novel both engaging and rewarding." -Literary Titan

"Moving, compelling, and engaging...a must-read..." -Goodreads

"Emotionally demanding and profoundly rewarding..." -Indies Today

"Moving, compelling, and engaging, author David B. Seaburn's "Until It Was Gone" is a must-read drama meets genre fiction novel." –Anthony Avina, Author

"Seaburn uses detailed character development and engaging storytelling to show a family dealing with change and looking for meaning during tough times." -Readers Favorite

"This is the third of Dave Seaburn's books that I've reviewed and he is an author to whom I am keen to return again and again. His books are well-written with a clear thread and purpose and I lose myself in them totally." -Rachel Deeming, Reedsy

"Seaburn creates a thoroughly engrossing contemporary story of a family in turmoil... It's perfect...for individual(s)...book clubs and reading groups interested in the intersection between family...