Reading this book was an interesting and heartbreaking experience. A year of magical thinking, a journey through the grieving process. As she deals with the death of her husband, she faces the illness of her only child. This book touches me and makes me think about what would happen if my loved one died. This article is a reflection of my thoughts and feelings about this woman's journey which was explored in a book and video. I will also explore the author's process of adaptation and how she perceives her changing self. The title of the book actually defines how she approached her grieving process. She believed her husband would return and she questioned certain events that could prevent her husband's death. In fact, I identify well with this line of thinking. When something bad happens in my life, I usually wonder what if I did things differently. Maybe things would have turned out differently. I actually used this line of thinking when a classmate died last year in a car accident. Before he died, my classmates and I stopped for lunch. I thought if we didn't have lunch he would still be there. If we hadn't all gone to the VA Stand-down, he would still be here. I try not to think that way, but it gets to me. This is a normal process that individuals go through when dealing with grief. It's nice to see someone putting their experience down on paper. In reality, his grieving process was normal and healthy. Telling someone how to grieve is like telling someone how to breathe. Individuals grieve in different ways, and there is nothing wrong with that. During the book, she tried to do things that were familiar to her and her husband. To try to keep him alive, this is completely normal. It was like she... middle of paper... until she felt like a wife and mother, but the loved ones who had classified her as such were no longer there. The main aim of the book is to show her evolution and how she adapts to her new life. His life is different. The man she was with for over forty years is gone, she must adapt to being alone. His life process was fascinating to read. At first she wanted to be alone so her husband would come back, then she didn't because she only thought about him. She considered herself an independent person before her husband's death; now she realized how dependent she really was. She changed to adapt to her situation, to cope with it. This book was an interesting read. Normally, I don't buy into the type of grief described in the book. I generally like happier books. This book is very detailed about the grieving process and I think it will help people deal with grief and loss..