Stephanie Duncan Smith's poignant, powerful debut memoir, Even After Everything, draws insightful parallels between the Christian liturgical year and Duncan Smith's own journey of pregnancy loss, new motherhood, and stubborn hope. As she navigates "hope in the after, hope against the grain of entirely reasonable fear," Duncan Smith explores the highs and lows of the Christian narrative, set into a calendar pattern that repeats every year, and invites believers to walk with her deeper into the story.
Recounting her path toward parenthood, Duncan Smith recalls the tender excitement of her first pregnancy and the sharp devastation of its end, which happened at Christmastime. She traces the terror and anticipation of carrying another child to term during a global pandemic and offers reflections on the life of Christ detailed in the church calendar and the "divine solidarity" of the Incarnation. For Duncan Smith, and for millions of believers over the centuries, the true miracle of faith is this "radical act of empathy embodied," which allows the divine to share in the deepest human experiences.
Duncan Smith writes honestly about the jarring moments when personal griefs scrape against moments of societal celebration, when "so much happens and so little makes sense." She looks grief in the face, but she also makes room for joy: her daughter's first laugh, the smell of strong coffee, the ancient and enduring powers of hope and love.
Full of beautiful questions, contemplations of living with uncertainty, and the raw courage it takes to move forward, Even After Everything offers wisdom and companionship to anyone who has taken the great risk of love after loss. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams