{"product_id":"porcelain-heart-a-mothers-memoir-of-unexpected-loss-9798896361862","title":"Porcelain Heart: A Mother's Memoir of Unexpected Loss by Kelly, Marcy","description":"\u003cb\u003eFans of Joan Didion's \u003ci\u003eThe Year of Magical Thinking\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBlue Nights \u003c\/i\u003ewill find inspiration in this mother's memoir about the year following her son's sudden death.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Marcy learns her beloved forty-five-year-old son, Michael, has died, she refuses to believe it. He was her only child. Later, she blames herself because she didn't recognize the signs of his illness. She has disturbing dreams about not saving him and spirals through the various stages of grief as she waits months for the coroner to render a cause. But the fifth and final stage of grief, Marcy rejects. In her mind, if she accepts Michael's death, he won't ever return. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003ePorcelain Heart\u003c\/i\u003e chronicles her raw emotional journey the year following Michael's death. Marcy endures all the firsts without him--the holidays, his birthday. She joins grief groups, remembers frightening and fun times together, questions whether she was a good mother, and tries to distract herself with travel. She creates a golf scholarship in his name and commissions a stone people and pet fountain to be built on the path where he used to hike. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHer journey culminates when she takes his ashes to his favorite place, a lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and finally begins moving toward acceptance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Marcy Kelly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e She Writes Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/27\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.30w x 0.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798896361862\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeword\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/19\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePW Booklife Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/26\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMarcy Kelly\u003c\/b\u003e has worked in communications and press relations at US government agencies and has led several nonprofit organizations. She studied creative writing at UCLA and earned a Master of Fine Arts from Antioch University. Her short fiction has been published in \u003ci\u003eNarrative Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e and in a collection of short stories. Her essays on grief have appeared on Medium and in other online publications. Her cowritten script, \u003ci\u003eFool Me Twice\u003c\/i\u003e, won the Producers Guild of America best screenplay award. Marcy lives in Los Angeles, is involved with charitable causes, and plays bridge when time permits.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"She Writes Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67934640144537,"sku":"9798896361862","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0572\/3367\/0297\/files\/9798896361862.jpg?v=1793917137","url":"https:\/\/bookmarksretail.store\/products\/porcelain-heart-a-mothers-memoir-of-unexpected-loss-9798896361862","provider":"Bookmarks Retail","version":"1.0","type":"link"}