“Suddenly”: young Voices Confronting Loss
Bucharest – May 13, 2024 – The new book, “Suddenly,” offers a sensitive and revealing exploration of grief, told from the perspectives of young people. Authors Maud Angelica Behn and Helena Stålnacke share personal, moving accounts of navigating sudden loss, and the enduring impact of these experiences. The book provides a space for empathy, understanding, and resilience. Read on to discover how the authors convey these sensitive messages to their readers.
“Suddenly”: young Voices Confronting Loss
A new book, “Suddenly,” co-authored by Maud Angelica Behn and Helena Stålnacke, offers a poignant exploration of grief from the perspective of young individuals navigating profound loss. While stylish and impressively open, the book delves into the incomprehensible nature of sudden bereavement.
A Christmas Day Revelation
Maud Angelica Behn recounts the life-altering moment she learned of her father, Ari Behn’s, death. It was December 25, 2020. Sixteen-year-old Maud was playing a “Mario” game, a Christmas gift, after celebrating Christmas Eve with her mother and sisters. The plan was to celebrate with her father later that day. She looked forward to giving him a portrait she had drawn.
suddenly, she heard her mother crying. She knew something was terribly wrong. shortly after, her mother delivered the devastating news: Dad is dead.
Maud’s world collapsed. The last time she saw her father, she hadn’t been attentive. She regretted not listening and leaving quickly. She apologized the next day, but there was so much more she wished she had said, unaware it would be their final encounter.
Did You Know?
Ari Behn was a Norwegian author known for his novels and short stories. His death by suicide deeply impacted Norway, sparking conversations about mental health.
Helena Stålnacke’s Unexpected Loss
Helena Stålnacke’s story is equally heart-wrenching.She lost her mother in 2017, at the age of thirteen. Before leaving for a weekend visit to her grandmother, Helena’s mother had an epileptic seizure. Helena reassured her grandmother that such episodes were common and usually resolved without issue. On Sunday, she received the terrible news: her mother had died.
Stålnacke vividly describes her internal turmoil: My conscience was a cannibal that ate me up inside.
Navigating the Unpredictable Nature of Grief
The book emphasizes the frequently enough random and unpredictable nature of death. It is unlikely that the last moment with someone is ideal. It might as well be wholly random. Often people die in unpredictable ways, for no reason or explanation. Right without a goodbye,
the authors write. They share how they moved forward after their incomprehensible losses.
Pro tip: Finding Solace in Creativity
Maud Angelica Behn found solace in folding origami birds, a practice she found soothing. She created countless birds and distributed them with friends to both famous and unknown individuals. years later,she still encounters these birds in unexpected places,a testament to the impact of her gesture.
A Grief Freind in Book Form
The goal has been to create the book we would have liked when we were worst,
Behn and stålnacke explain. While acknowledging that the book cannot eliminate pain, they hope “suddenly” can serve as a “grief friend” to those who are suffering.
The authors alternate in sharing their stories of shock, despair, missing their loved ones, and rage. While the narrative voice is generally uniform,Behn’s writing is characterized by pictorial language,while Stålnacke’s is tighter and more concrete.
Missing Perspectives
While Behn’s story is well-known, the book notably omits details about her family. Her sisters are mentioned only briefly. The reviewer notes a lack of discussion from both Stålnacke and behn on how siblings can support each other through joint grief.
Therapeutic Insights and Reconciliation
Both Behn and Stålnacke have undergone therapy, which becomes evident throughout the book. The narrative transitions into a professional aid, adopting an impersonal tone with advice and tips drawn from existing literature on grief.At times, they come across more as therapists than young individuals grappling with loss.
However, the book shines in its moments of love-filled reconciliation, particularly in Behn’s reflections:
It’s amazing to think that Dad was here in the world with me. I so appreciate that he existed. I would always have chosen to know him, and thus feel the pain of losing him, rather than never having had him in my life at all. Grief is the price of love, and I pay it with joy.
Maud Angelica Behn, “Suddenly”
