What We Owe

’The weight of judgement and restraint faded from Emma. This was a different type of numbness; her suppressed feelings rose to the surface, but she was indifferent. She was separate. Anaesthesia.’ Grief changes people. The weight of judgement and restraint faded from Emma. This was a different type of numbness; her suppressed feelings rose to the surface, but she was indifferent. She was separate. Anaesthesia. Some grieve more openly: the innocents amongst us, who wear their hearts on their sleeves. These are the people who cry at funerals and accept help from those who offer it. Conversely, some close up completely, becoming shells of their former selves. They fall inside themselves, in constant pursuit of escape, of relief, from the burden which they refuse to share. What We Owe follows Emma, and her sister, Beth, learning to grieve the death of their mother. It is a novella of isolation, grief and redemption.