Sunday, April 17, 2011
Book Report: Two Kisses for Maddy by Matt Logelin
bookAfter a rough pregnancy Liz Logelin gave birth to her daughter Madeline seven weeks early.
The next day Liz died... as she was on her way to the NICU to hold her daughter for the first time.
Let's just pause and soak in that awfulness.
Matt, her husband, blogged his way through the pain, the tenuous days of being a single dad with a premie, through the minefield of memories some as simple as a rubber band hanging on a door knob, some as complex as being back at the place where they fell in love.
I found Matt's blog about six weeks after Liz died and followed it faithfully for a really long time. Something about the horror of my own near-death with G and the raw emotion of what Matt wrote had me transfixed. I was rooting for this guy.
He announced on his blog that he'd be writing a book and I knew as much as I didn't want to read it that I needed to.
And tonight I did.
In one three hour stretch.
I wish I could tell you there was a big happy ending.
But there can't be.
Liz is dead.
"Two Kisses for Maddy" is, at its heart, a love letter from Matt to Liz. An amazing remembrance of a husband who was totally in love with his wife. Just as she was. A touching tribute that is so beautiful and honest it sometimes feels like an invasion of privacy to read it.
And yet, I did.
I couldn't put it down.
It's not all downer.
There are lots of triumphs among the tragedy.
Regular blog readers will remember some of the bigger milestones... and they're in the book.
What a gift for Maddy to have. A touching, wonderful tribute to her mom, written by her dad.
As a reader, it's also nice to have some of the background to the stories he's written over the years.
This book is a heavy read. Read it when you can embrace the emotions involved, when you can feel the love and cry and laugh. I knew that even if I was up half the night I'd have to finish it in one sitting and I'm really glad I did. I have to say though, I come away from"Two Kisses for Maddy" feeling refreshed, optimistic. There are bad things that happen in life and while they change you and where you thought life was going, you can survive.
But seriously, my next book is going to be a damn comedy!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is one I really want to read. Although perhaps I will wait until I am in a much more content mood. :)
ReplyDeleteNo way Jose. I appreciate the value and beauty of books like this, but I am not able to read them. I can't shoulder pain like that - I don't have the coping skills. I shy away from high emotion in books, movies, and tv. I struggle carrying my own emotion and those of people I know and love. So I'm glad you reviewed it for me, and I'm really glad you got to read it, but I will wait for your comedy.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad Matt had to use so many explicative words that should have been deleted.
ReplyDelete@spiritmoved - I thought his language was totally appropriate given the situation. It didn't bother me in the slightest. Anyone who has been through what he's been through should get a pass for dropping a few f-bombs along the way, at least, in my opinion that is. Did you read the book?
ReplyDeleteIt was an AMAZING book. I found myself crying and tearing up even in public. He is so honest and yes, he does get a pass for swearing, he forewarned in the book and if you read his blog, you should know he doesn't censor himself. Its very much part of his vocabulary that attributes to his raw and emotional writing style.
ReplyDelete