Elowen by William Henry Searle

‘A beautiful portrayal … raw, visceral, delicately tender’  Raynor Winn

‘A deeply moving portrait of a family that dares to be completely open and completely vulnerable. It is an extraordinarily generous and brave book, and I am grateful to this writer, to this family.’  Barney Norris

‘…powerfully poignant yet never depressing…Stories such as this open up the pain but in a way that can help others navigate with compassion…a beautiful elegy.’ Jackie Law, Neverimitate

In the summer of 2017, Will and Amy lose their baby girl, Elowen, a few days before her due date. When they return home to the New Forest, they step into a twilight where nothing makes sense and words are never enough to describe what they are going through.

In the weeks and months that follow, Will finds himself despising the beauty of the forest: the trees, the wildlife, all the places that have become special to them both. He rages against the natural world, against the cruelty of nature for stealing his daughter away.

Elowen is a deeply honest and moving portrayal of Will and Amy’s journey back to each other, their family and themselves. It is a profoundly hopeful and uplifting story, describing with clarity and beauty how love sustains us through the darkest of times: a love for each other, a love for the natural world.

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