A Severe Mercy
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4.8 • 20 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER · THE SPIRITUAL CLASSIC THAT HAS INFLUENCED MORE THAN 500,000 READERS
""A deep, uncompromising story about human and divine love.” — Los Angeles Times
The profoundly moving and heart-rendering classic for anyone who has experienced the depths of love and loss. Reflecting on faith, vitality, and grief, this “spiritual autobiography of a love rather than of the lovers” opens our hearts and eyes to the true meaning of life, and death. In A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken stunningly chronicles his marriage to his beloved wife, Davy, his faith-forming friendship with C.S. Lewis and the tragedy that altered his soul and spirit completely.
With heavy passion, ""Van"" unravels a love story formed by intense romance and commitment, and a bond he refers to as “the Shining Barrier.” A bond that is unaltered by the outside world and its influences until he meets C.S Lewis while studying at Oxford. Lewis introduces Davy and Van to Christianity, and their devotion to God quickly becomes as strong as their devotion to one another.
In rapid succession, Davy succumbs to a fatal illness and a grief-stricken Van is left to process this unspeakable loss, and subsequently discover the meaning of ""a mercy as severe as death, a severity as merciful as love.""
For fans of When Breath Becomes Air and Being Mortal, this impactful masterpiece allows readers of all beliefs to envision life after loss, and the spiritual strength that ultimately leads us forward after unspeakable tragedy. Weaving in 18 original letters from C.S. Lewis himself, A Severe Mercy poetically addresses some of the universal questions that surround faith, and its remarkable role during times of both radiant joy and immense suffering.
Customer Reviews
What a beautiful book…
"Death... a severe mercy... an experience that consummates life... not merely stops it." - Sheldon Vanauken
Another book down this year anddd I'm beginning to notice a common theme in true faith, the faith that God is trying desperately to build within us (especially American culture) that many of us will run from or are terrified of... the common theme is suffering. My thoughts are too "everywhere" to zero in on all the specifics running through my mind but... we worship safety. We trust God to keep us from suffering rather than deliver us from evil. Often, suffering (meant to push us closer to dependency on God) pushes us to complete and absolute deconstruction. This is not a condemnation to the sufferer. Jesus wept because He aligned with the sufferer. He felt the emotions. The Christian solution to suffering isn't to become calloused, merciless, bitter and paranoid. It's to dive deep into the furnace with God, seeking refinement and alignment with Him. Jesus provides this example over and over again... and this book echoes these same sentiments.
After hearing KB "namedrop" this book on his podcast, Southside Rabbi (go peep it... it's fire) I HAD to read this book. It's an autobiography written by Sheldon Vanauken, a friend of C.S. Lewis and a sufferer. The concept that most rocked me in this book was his "jealousy" of God. He communicated a jealousy he had harbored because the love of his life was sold out for Christ and he was lost in the old days of their "pagan love". The book details his relationships, his conversion and transformation and the WILD turn his life takes as he watches the love of his life die slowly but so so humbly. He tackles his grief head-on and wrestles with his faith in a way that would prove daunting for ANYONE. This book honestly brought me to tears many times because of how poetic Sheldon's writing is. I encourage any Christian, familiar with suffering or an alien to it, to get this book and read it. It will change your walk for sure...