The Alchemy of Loss

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Abigail Carter received an urgent phone call from her husband, Arron: “Ab, Ab! There’s an emergency. I’m in the World Trade Center and there’s been a bomb.” He never came home. Abby had it all-a full life with a successful career and a loving husband, and a beautiful two-year-old son and six-year-old daughter. But in a horrifying instant watched by the world, it was gone, and her family’s lives were changed irreparably. The Alchemy of Loss chronicles the tumultuous four years Abby spent trying to come to terms with her loss that day. Honest, raw, and even humorous, this is the book she wished she could have found after Arron died.

During those challenging years, Abby came to realize that she had to turn everything she knew upside down in order to learn to live again-and that there is no one-size-fits-all path through grief. She gradually began to build a new life for herself and to see opportunities in her situation. She developed new skills as a single parent, started dating again, and eventually moved across the country for a fresh start in Seattle. Those years were powerfully transformative, and Abby now likens them to
alchemy: from them she emerged a new person-wiser, more independent, more sure of herself.

A compelling, moving memoir and a loving portrait of a marriage, The Alchemy of Loss will prove a comfort for anyone who is dealing with unimaginable loss-and serve as an inspiration to us all.