“Michael Rosen’s Sad Book” by Micheal Rosen

“Michael Rosen’s Sad Book” is one of my all time favorite books on loss. It brings a whole lot of unique attributes to the topic of loss that few other books do. Written through the lens of Michael Rosen’s personal heartbreaking experience, “Sad Book” succinctly let’s us in on the extreme pain the author suffered after the death of his son Eddie. Michael makes no effort to explain the cause of the death, nor is it of importance once he invites us into his painfully gray world. He has a way of immediately grabbing our hearts, taking us along with him as he lives each day. His depression is palpable, and we easily grasp just how sad the loss of a child really is.

“Michael Rosen’s Sad Book” is formatted larger than most adult books. (Even though the jacket notes say that he writes for young readers, the book speaks to adults as well.) And one can’t help but be drawn in by the expressive illustrations that so deftly convey the depth of Michael’s grief. The combination of few words, along with the sketches, literally socks you in the gut emotionally. It’s a truly sad book.

“Sometimes because I’m sad I do bad things.”

What’s hardest about “Sad Book” is Michael’s honesty. He admits things like ,“Sometimes because I’m sad I do bad things. I can’t tell you what they are. They’re too bad. And it’s not fair to the cat.” I found myself feeling his pain, the cat’s pain, and my own pain. The book is not is a “here’s what you can do to move on” book —  although he does offer the reader four things he undertakes each day to help him feel a tiny bit better. It is also not a book about Eddie, his son.

“When it’s deep and dark I don’t go there…””

Michael manifests his pain through his collaboration with illustrator Quentin Blake. He unquestionably, and desperately, needs to tell (and illustrate) for the reader what life has become for him, a father whose child has died. It’s the kind of book that will touch every reader in a unique way.

“I just want to disappear.”

Rosen makes no attempt to wrap up an expected ending, because he knows there is no end to loss. Eddie will always be gone. What Michael does instead is to offer us an example of how he copes with a single element of life he still enjoys — birthdays. These not only reminds him of Eddie’s birthdays, but also of joyous birthdays that are a part of life that continue on around him. They are a fitting metaphor because a whole cake full of lit candles is both a brilliant memorial and a reminder of the bright lights of life moving on. It is also a way for Michael to look towards the bright light in the dark tunnel of his mind.

“Michael Rosen’s Sad Book” is a very special book, born out of a father’s deep pain. As the cover jacket notes “It’s truth will surely touch you.”

I agree.