Surviving the Grief Cave - by Bob McGuire (Paperback)

About the Book

A man's raw memoir of losing his wife to cancer, his son's drug addiction, and finding - on the Camino de Santiago and beyond - his way back to himself and a new life.

Book Synopsis

When his wife's death from brain cancer and his son's drug addiction tear his family apart, Bob falls inside grief's darkest cave - angry at a seemingly absent God - and hopelessly lost.

Searching for answers and direction, Bob seeks out various forms of grief support and eventually sets out to walk the Camino de Santiago - 500 miles across Spain, alone with his questions. Along the way, strangers become spiritual guides, and in the silence of the trail, something unexpected begins to happen: He starts to heal.

But coming home has its own reckoning. The man who left isn't the man who returns, and a new question takes hold - "Who am I now?" What follows is a second pilgrimage, this one inward, as Bob learns to accept the self he'd spent a lifetime avoiding - and discovers that rebuilding a life requires rebuilding himself first. Slowly, a transformation begins to take place alongside newfound love, faith, and connection.

Surviving the Grief Cave is a raw, unflinching memoir for readers who are drawn to:

• A man's grief laid bare - no easing into it, no pretending it doesn't shatter him.
• A crisis of faith that questions everything once believed, and a hard-won reconciliation with God on the other side.
• The Camino de Santiago as a calling - a physical, mental and spiritual teacher that changes the man who walks it.
• The second journey that begins after the trail ends: Facing the question "Who am I now?"
• A true story of rebirth - not through the avoidance of grief but learning to face it and accept its transformative power which leads to a new life, love and faith.

Review Quotes

"An important and beautifully written book of hope. I felt like I walked alongside Bob on his journey through the depths of grief to a life renewed and love reclaimed."

-Rick Moss, PhD, Author of "Drops of Wisdom: Guidance on the Path of Awakening

"Through the telling of his story Bob McGuire shows us what it means to begin again."

-Paula D'Arcy, Author of "Waking up to This Day" and "Winter of the Heart"

"Through his journey, Bob demonstrates that even in the face of immense grief and life's harshest trials, one can find peace, healing, and ultimately, harmony."

-Nella Hahn, LCSW-R

"Bob McGuire has written a compelling, inspiring and emotionally honest story."

-Fred Jealous, Founder, Breakthrough Men's Community

"The power of McGuire's pen is employed in such a way that readers will emerge hopeful-and, perhaps, less grief-stricken than they were when they began this book."

-D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review