Found, Wanting

Book excerpt: On Valentine's Day, after a night of red wine and pasta and planning for their future, Natasha Sholl and her partner Rob went to bed. A few hours later, at the age of 27, his heart stopped. Found, Wanting tells the story of Natasha's attempt to rebuild her life in the wake of Rob's sudden death, stumbling through the grief landscape and colliding with the cultural assumptions about the 'right way' to grieve. It is a memoir about falling in love in the aftermath of loss, and what it means to build a life in the space that death leaves. Furious and passionate, bracingly honest and beautiful, Found, Wanting is above all, a memoir about living and making sense of the multitude of lives within us. PRAISE FOR FOUND, WANTING 'what she shares with the reader is profound, necessary and also, at times, funny and quite beautiful.' - Jason Steger, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald 'Forthright, compelling and at times darkly funny, it's a thoughtful and beautifully written reflection on the ways Sholl came undone' - The West Australian 'Sholl has given us a beautifully written memoir that powerfully delivers the wisdom each of us will need at some point about how a human life is spacious enough to accommodate both grief and joy.' - Sarah Krasnostein, author of The Trauma Cleaner 'Sholl is a stunning writer and observer of the human condition. Gripping, candid and tender, Found, Wanting is for anyone who knows the loneliness of loss.' - Jessie Stephens, author of Heartsick 'that's what makes this book such an unexpected pleasure to read. Natasha's attitude, her unique turns of phrase, and her deep honesty shine through, making a story that could be heavy with sadness, actually hope-filled and oftentimes funny.' - The Australian 'Sholl writes with dignity and thoughtfulness.' - The Sydney Morning Herald 'Sholl's forthright nature and hard-won wisdom is at the heart of why I was riveted by Found, Wanting. Her honesty is fearless and relatable, and there is something so heartachingly vulnerable about the unspeakable thoughts and undignified moments that she relates here' - Jackie Tang, Readings Monthly 'Found, Wanting's relentless and heartbreaking depiction of loss could've been unbearable were it not for the moving beauty of the writing.' - Allee Richards, Kill Your Darlings