Room For Two

"Sweetie, I'm home." I tried to put as much kindness into my voice as possible. I didn't want to have another argument - at least not right away.
Silence.
"Sweetheart?"
A gunshot echoed from our bedroom, followed by the sound of a bullet casing skipping along a wall.
Everything slowed down.
***
When a life is destroyed, when guilt says you played a role in its destruction, how do you face the days ahead?
Twenty-six-year-old Abel Keogh chooses to ignore the promptings he receives concerning his wife's mental illness, and now he feels he is to blame for her choices. If only he had listened . . .
At some point in our lives, each of us face devastating afflictions and must eventually cope with loss. Regardless of how it happens, the outcome is still the same - we are left isolated, alone, wondering what we could have done differently, and where we can turn for peace.
This is Abel's story in his own words. His search for peace and the miracle that follows is proof that love and hope can endure, despite the struggles and tragedies that shape each of our lives.

I wasn't sure I wanted to read a book about suicide. Four years ago I was summoned to the hospital where one of my children lay after trying to take his own life. Two years later we attended the funeral of one of his close friends after that life was ended by suicide. One year after that, this same child attempted to take his life again. And finally this past June, a student that attends the same school as my children took his life. I was not sure that I wanted to confront all those old feelings and dredge up the hurt and pain. But I did it anyway and I am glad that I did.

Mr. Keogh tells his story in such a way that you feel his frustration, his pain, his confusion. You want to turn back time with him and let him make different choices when he has the chance. You also understand that that is an impossibility and likely wouldn't change anything even if it was. I was pulled into the story and sometimes forgot that it was a real story, not just a story by Able Keogh. I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning so I could finish the book.

Mr. Keogh takes us through his trials and struggles as he comes to terms with this tragedy. His wife was seven months pregnant when she took her life, so amid his grief and anguish, he must deal with the decisions that come with an extremely pre-mature baby born to a woman that had died.

Despite the reason for the book, it is not a book about tragedy, pain, and sadness, but rather a book about learning and growing and moving forward. It is a book about redefining yourself as a person when the person you thought you were can no longer exist in this realm of life. It is about letting go, growing and stretching and pushing ourselves until we accomplish that which we only dared dream we could be.

A beautiful story, beautifully written. I definately would reccommend this book. Buy it, read it, love it.

Room for Two
Trade Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Cedar Fort (August 2007)
ISBN-10: 1599550628
ISBN-13: 978-1599550626

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #208,955 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Purchase book here

Website: http://www.abelkeogh.com/
Blog: http://www.abelkeogh.com/blog/

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Indeed.