Loving the Gone

by Sara Rian

Loving the Gone is a collection of poetry about love's limitless reach after a loved one dies. For anyone grieving a parent, child, partner, sibling, relative, friend, pet, or just someone loved, this book is here to pull you from isolation, connect with your pain, and give you space to love your person loudly and without shame.

Genres: Poetry, Grief, Nonfiction

114 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2023

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautiful collection of poems that seem to capture grief on every level; the big to the intricate. This is a book I will go back to when I feel like no one could ever understand my grief, because these poems perfectly understand my grief. These books have been a true gift in my journey to understanding life after losing Mom. 5 stars always 🤍

[Tayler Kostecka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book opened my heart and shattered it time and time again, in the absolute best way. No one gets child loss unless they do, and this poetry made me feel so seen. Grief is love, and I will read this love over and over until the day I’m reunited with my daughter.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has RUINED me. Sara Rian articulates so many categories of grief in such a heartachingly beautiful way in this collection and I do not know if I will recover.

[becca ✮ · Rating 5 out of 5]

my sister bought me this a couple months after our mom passed and it took me about 6 months to read. sara puts so many of my feelings into words in a way i could never do which made this book too painful to read at times, but im so glad i did read it. i’m so grateful to the author for expressing her feelings this way because each poem of this book truly moved me and i have more than half of them tabbed to go back to 💜

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This broke apart the very fabric of my grief.

[Jess Hember · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s taken me 8 months to read this collection since dad, so heartbreakingly beautiful, captures the feelings of grief in such a raw and real way. I’ve tabbed so many to come back to. Feeling so grateful I was given this 🤍

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so so so so dang good. I have really loved getting into poetry and Sara is one of the first writers I’ve really liked following because her work on grief is so validating and comforting. I loved the entire book. I feel like I finally met someone who actually understands what I’m experiencing and feeling and I don’t feel ashamed about it. Thank you Sara, eternally. 🙏🏻❤️

[Sacha · Rating 5 out of 5]

sara puts words to feelings that i never thought could be done. grief is hard, messy, and heavy. it’s nice to not carry it alone.

[Kelley Shook · Rating 5 out of 5]

To anyone grieving - this book is for you.
Her poetry gives words to feelings you can’t otherwise explain. This is a book I will read again and again.

[jpdoesbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sara did a wonderful job putting into words what a griever feels. I never cried so much reading a book, I felt seen. Thank you Sara ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way Rian captures the exact feelings, that so many of us experience after suffering loss. She has the gift of putting those things into words. I plan to buy a few copies for friends.

[Lauren Puckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so so so much. So many poems that articulate the pain grief and loss has created in my life. I felt so seen. And Sara honors every form of grief in this collection of poems.

[Amanda Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very applicable to the feels I'm feeling after the unexpected loss of my brother.

[Angélique Vaugeois-Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought it because I needed to put words on the pain I experienced since the loss of a loved one, and it did just that.

To me, there where some poems I could not relate to because they were about the loss of a lover, wich is not my case.

But for the other poems, it helped me to accept the pain, to put words on feelings I couldn’t describe and most of all, feeling seen in my grief.

It’s a good book for anyone experiencing grief❤️

[Farah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book to anyone grieving. It helped me process emotions immensely after losing my dad this year. I read several of Sara’s poems from this book at his memorial. I am so thankful for this book.

[Terrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone grieving

Sara did an outstanding job with this one. She does not know me or my grief about my Mom’s passing and yet, her words fit perfectly with my missing pieces. Thank you ❤️‍🩹

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried for every page 🤍🫶🏻🥹

[Lynn Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry to cry by. A perfect poetry book for anyone who has lost a loved one human or animal, young or old.

[marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌼

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried the whole way through. Each poem hit exactly how I needed it to. It was cathartic.