My Therapist Says This Grief Journal Is a Good Idea

You could say Kyle Jr. grew up in a dysfunctional family. That’d be an understatement. His mother Francine’s wealthy family disinherited her for marrying the working-class Kyle Sr., and she’s never forgiven him (or KJ) for that.

As the tumultuous marriage begins to unravel, KJ and his brother Nicholas do their best to raise themselves. KJ is pretty sure he’s succeeded-until his father’s suicide turns his grown-up life upside down. Now, with the help of a patient therapist he calls Diamond, he’s trying to sort things out.

KJ fills his grief journal with plenty of sarcasm, excerpts from sweary, punny high-school short stories, and fourth-wall-breaking asides. Through all the bravado and swagger, a portrait emerges of a young man confronting a dark past with genuine compassion and keen insight. He’s determined to reconcile with its legacy-and to survive.

Andrew Katz is an avid reader and writer, and thinks that the written word is a huge boon for people’s mental health whether they plan to do anything with their personal writing or not. He is a dog dad, carpenter, and disc golfer. He thinks there are other things about him that might be interesting but is trying to employ brevity here.