In an exploration of the afterlife that is part personal, part prescriptive, Smith invites us on her journey into the unknown. She wonders: How do we grieve our loved ones without proof that they live on? Will we ever see them again? Can they see us now? Chronicling our steps along the path that bridges this world and the next, Smith undergoes past-life regressions and sessions with mediums and psychics and immerses herself in the ceremonies of organised religion and the rigour of scientific experiments to try and find the answers.
Praise for
After This: "With wisdom and grace, Claire Bidwell Smith navigates the mysteries of grief to show us that there is great meaning and even magic to be found in exploring the unknown."
--Maria Shriver, bestselling author of
What's Heaven? "This is the book I wish I had when my husband died. Claire took me on a quest attempting to answer all the crazy questions I had after his death. Engrossing from page one all the way to the very end." --Christina Rasmussen, author of
Second Firsts: Live, Laugh and Love Again "Claire Bidwell Smith, with her writer's heart and therapist's mind, has written a stunningly generous book alive with curiosity, humility, skepticism, and bravery. In
After This you will teeter on the edge of the Spirit world; and whether you believe, or wish to, or simply can't, Bidwell Smith has written one of the most inspiring books about death you will ever read." -Christa Parravani, author of
Her: A Memoir "A transfixing ode to the enigmatic cycle of life and death,
After This will resonate with seekers and skeptics alike. Grief therapist Claire Bidwell Smith explores in lyrical prose tricky existential terrain with compelling philosophical persistence, humility, and poise. You will not forget this book." --Aidan Donnelley Rowley
, author of
Life After Yes "With deep compassion, profound vulnerability, and transcendent lyricism, Claire Bidwell Smith embraces that which we so often run from in this culture: loss. This is a transformative book that will change the way you think about death, and by extension, life."
--Jillian Lauren,
New York Times bestselling author of
Some Girls "In this eloquent, smart, funny and deeply thoughtful book, Claire Bidwell Smith takes us on a powerful journey of discovery. She asks the most important questions about life, love, death, and what it means to be human, and does so with equal measures of skepticism and a broken-open heart. By doing so, she becomes an utterly trustworthy guide. Reader, follow her. You'll be so glad you did." -Dani Shapiro, author of
Devotion and
Still Writing "Claire Bidwell Smith's tender journey of love and loss will leave you feeling connected and hopeful." --David Kessler, co-author of
On Grief and Grieving with Elisabeth Kübler Ross.
