Don't Mention the Coal Scuttle
This book about bereavement is not just one person's important
experiences; nor is it an academic investigation into the common threads among
those suffering severe grief. "Don't Mention The Coal Scuttle" is
a compilation from over fifty different and real experiences of those facing
the death of a husband, a wife, a partner, a soul mate. That is not necessarily any more sad, but very
different from other bereavements. Some
of the contributors have been named; others wanted to remain anonymous but all
of them wished to help others by sharing what they have gone through and what
they continue to go through. It also
contains brief extracts from over eleven different authors on this subject.
The authors of this book, Alison Pringle and Graeme Pagan, first met in
Oban over 50 years ago. A chance meeting
on a bus 38 years after they had last seen each other, five years after the
death of Alison's husband and three weeks after the death of Graeme's wife, led
to the realisation that sharing what that is really like could be very helpful
in facing what is undoubtedly one of life's worst happenings. Graeme, a retired solicitor after 53 years in
his profession, and Alison, a retired nurse after 31 years in her profession,
inevitably came across a lot of people in bereavement which was helpful when it
came to the writing of this book.
Graeme Pagan is already a successful author having had published ten
years ago "Once Bitten Twice Fined" which sold over 3500 copies and
which its readers found both interesting and funny. Humour plays a very important part in life and
"Don't Mention The Coal Scuttle" has many amusing moments. It has
been said that somehow you can carry on in life even without your loved one if
you can talk, laugh and cry. This book
has several examples of that and it is highly recommended for anyone facing the
death of a loved partner and also for those who are related to or know someone
affected by such loss. Appreciating what
other people are experiencing in life is always important and this book adds to
that understanding.
