The Lasting Effects of Pain and Suffering

Sarah Dessen’s novel The Truth About Forever reveals the entire world of grief and suffering. Macy finds herself drawing into her shell after her father dies right in front of her. She wants nothing more than to be able to grieve for him, but knows she must let no one see her in her “weak” state. Grief is one of the strongest emotions that humans feel, and when we grieve, the core of our being is never the same again.

Macy seems to be a symbol of the very idea of grief, of how to deal when someone dear is lost. Her actions and feelings tell the world how people react to loss, and her internal struggles represent those who are less open of their feelings. Macy’s life is eventually changed drastically by her grief, and she knows she can never go back to who she used to be.

I was able to relate to this book greatly, because I too lost my father. I knew exactly how the protagonist would feel as she sat through the funeral, organized her dad’s possessions, and slowly began to understand that she would never see him again. In many ways, I could almost see the book as a story about my life, instead of a fictional character’s, because I too was irreversibly changed by what I felt.

The theme of grief in the book also reminded me of another text: the poem “The Grief of a Girl’s Heart.” While the grief of this poem may not be over such an extreme matter as death, it is no less real, as the suffering is clearly painted throughout the work.

This story not only taught me much about emotional pain, but also how to face it. The book helped me realize that I had my own problems to work through, and with some of the events in the book, even gave me ideas that could work for me. I know I will never be the same again, but at least I can be a better version of the new me.