Reaching for Beautiful - by Sally McQuillen (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

For fans of Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking or David Sheff's Beautiful Boy, this debut memoir about a mother grieving her young-adult son's death is a must-read for any parent who has lost a child or whose child struggles with addiction.

A luminous story of how love triumphs over pain, love transcends fear, and love never dies; this debut memoir from a mother grieving her young-adult son's death is a must-read for any parent who has lost a child, is raising a child from the edge of their seat, or whose family struggles with addiction.

When Sally's twenty-one-year-old son died in a boat accident, her greatest fear is realized. Christopher was often drawn to risk and struggled with addiction. In this riveting memoir, Sally captures the wild ride of his jam-packed life and her deep love for him while reflecting on her own childhood and family's legacy of alcoholism.

Sally shares insights about what it's like to experience the emotional aftershocks of acute grief, filtered through the lens of her personal experience as a mother and her professional vantage point as a psychotherapist. Even if they have not been touched by loss in this way, readers may see themselves in Sally's bittersweet illusion of trying to keep her son safe, in how she is challenged to let go of her fear, guilt, and regret in order to forgive herself, and in the ways grief teaches her about the power of love.

Review Quotes

"Sally McQuillen has given the world a great gift: the chance to feel a mother's broken heart and see how she transformed her grief into a gentle peace. Anyone who has lost someone they love will be stronger for reading this powerful and tender book."-- Meg Kissinger, author of the best-selling While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence

"McQuillen is unafraid to share the roller coaster ride that is family addiction as she grapples with grief in Reaching for Beautiful. As a therapist who helps clients who have been impacted by addiction, her loss is particularly poignant."--Sukey Forbes, best-selling author of The Angel in My Pocket

"The most enduring books write us and touch on the common human journey. Reaching for Beautiful is such a book. What Sally McQuillen endured in bringing a child into the world only to lose him decades later holds lessons for us all. Her brave and tender story will make any reader value life and our chance to be here more."--Mark Nepo, author of You Don't Have to Do It Alone and The Half-Life of Angels

"This tender story of a mother navigating the loss of her extraordinary son is written with mercy and wisdom. Mercy toward herself as a loving mom who will always miss the physical presence of her beloved son. And wisdom as she shares the journey of spiritual awakening that her son's spirit takes her on. These mysteries bring her to the truths we all seek about what is essential in life. Only love. What a wonderful book for anyone wondering if grief will have the last word."--Sue Frederick, author of Bridges to Heaven: True Stories of Loved Ones on the other side

"Reaching for Beautiful is not just for someone who has lost a child, or has loved a child, it's for anyone who has loved at all. McQuillen writes with the voice of a poet, lyrically, as well as straight to the heart. Her story is both a heartbreaking and a heart-opening must-read." --Kristen Moeller, MS, literary agent and author of What Are You Waiting For?

"In Reaching for Beautiful, McQuillen shares her story with ineffable grace and insight, showing us how 'over time the light outshines the darkness.' Whatever hardship you are facing, reading this book will have you believing that her mission is beacon-possible." --Laura Munson, founder of the Haven Writing Programs and New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of This Is Not The Story You Think It Is and Willa's Grove

"Luminous and deeply affecting, McQuillen's gift as a writer is to turn a deeply personal story into a blueprint for all of us navigating the line between loving our children and letting them go. With a storyteller's gift and a therapist's mind, she leaves the reader with a sense of awe at life's beauty, and the promise of a love that transcends grief." --Julie Fingersh, author of Stay: A Memoir of Family, Love and Other Traumas

"Powerful . . . honest . . . and inspiring, Reaching for Beautiful is a heartfelt journey through a mother's grief experience, moving from darkness to light. It demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit, allowing for deep, authentic faith, purpose and meaning after unimaginable loss." --Rebecca Rosen, spiritual medium and author of What's Your Heaven?

About the Author

Sally McQuillen, LCSW, CADC, is a psychotherapist in private practice specializing in addiction, grief, and trauma recovery. An avid reader with a double major in writing and dance criticism at Denison University, she began working in public relations and marketing prior to obtaining her master's degree in social work from Loyola University of Chicago. Reaching for Beautiful is Sally's first book. She and her husband live on the north shore of Chicago where they raised their three children.