Antiphon: A Call and Response in a Year of Grief and Renewal

by Jane Flynn, Christina Holbrook

Two friends find themselves confronting life-shattering
the death of a child by suicide and a diagnosis of a glioblastoma brain cancer.

Over the course of one year, these two women embark on a deliberate correspondence to rescue themselves and each other from overwhelming grief. As the months pass, the act of writing and bearing witness to one another transforms each woman’s journey through terrible loss into a courageous affirmation of resilience and of lives well lived.

292 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2025

Reviews

[Lewis Schrager]

It may seem counterintuitive to suggest that there is beauty in grief, but beauty glimmering through grief is what you'll find in this exquisite gem of a book. Antiphone provides an intimate perspective on seeking solace, strength and meaning in the face of personal loss (the suicide of author Jane Flynn's son, Greg) and the threat of a life prematurely curtailed (author Christina Holbrook in the wake of her diagnosis with terminal brain cancer). The book is structured around letters shared between these life-long friends in the year following the occurrence of these two tragic events in their respective lives. It's difficult not to be moved as we share the passing of a year through this intimate correspondence; the description of the sorrow, joy, fear, courage, anger, and love that would comprise any life becomes magnified under the circumstances experienced by the authors, even as the sense of the passage of the seasons provides a reminder of the power of time to heal. The heartfelt, lyrical correspondence between the authors in Antiphone provides a meaningful respite from the media-driven mania of our current world.

[Anne]

This book was written by two college classmates of mine as they struggle with grief. Jane’s son committed suicide (today is the anniversary) and Christina was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Through letters to each other, they express their grief and try to figure out how to move ahead.

[Karen Mason]

Antiphon is a brave, raw, and beautifully honest book about grief and love. Christina and Jane write straight from the heart—you can feel their emotions on every page. It’s powerful and deeply moving, and it leaves you with a sense of grace and hope.

[Emmanouela Mousama]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Although the topics covered, the theme is sad, while reading I got the feeling of hope, the warmth of mutual support, the meaning of resilience and strength. Beautifully written as well