How to Lose Everything

A book review of How to Lose Everything: a Memoir by Christa Couture

Stars: *****

Douglas & McIntyre (2021)
Memoir
208 pages

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

Summary: Enduring a series of devastating losses, Christa Couture shares her experiences in navigating grief and ultimately finding a way forward. From the amputation of her leg as a cure for bone cancer at a young age to her first child’s single day of life, the heart transplant and subsequent death of her second child, the divorce born of mourning and then the thyroidectomy that threatened her career as a professional musician, Christa Couture’s How to Lose Everything delves into the heart of loss.

Couture has come to know every corner of grief―its shifting blurry edges, its traps, its pulse of love at the center and the bittersweet truth that sorrow is a powerful and wise emotion. Couture bears witness to the shift in perspective that comes with loss, and how it can deepen compassion for others, expand understanding, inspire a letting go of little things and plant a deeper feeling for what matters. At the same time, Couture’s writing evokes the joy and lightness that both precede and eventually follow grief, as well as the hope and resilience that grow from connections with others.

How to Lose Everything

Christa has been through a large amount of trauma and it’s a miracle she’s still standing. Over the years she has dealt with a large amount of loss. As such, she has learned tips for dealing with it. The majority of the book is a memoir of all that she went through. However the last chapter of the book is tips on dealing with loss and grief.

I’ve been lucky not to lose too much (yet) but I’m tempted to keep her book around instead of passing it on so that I can look back at the advice when my time comes to lose those close to me.

Christa’s story is captivating and I read through it in 2 days. I had trouble putting it down. It’s crazy how some people have a lot and others lose a lot. Life isn’t fair after all. However the way Christa pushed on past all these losses is inspiring.

I highly recommend the book for memoir lovers, those who have lost children and anyone who needs advice on loss.

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