An Ocean and a Day

‘I was deeply moved by this book which is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking – a raw and wrenching portrait of lives shattered and rebuilt in the wake of grief. It also reads like a love letter to her husband Matt, whose sudden death in a tragic surfing accident tore a hole in their family too deep to fathom. In emotional freefall, halfway across the world from family and dealing with police, the press, a funeral and two young children, I could almost physically feel the weight of her collapse. She shares with touching honesty the hours, then days and finally years of rebuilding, of what it took her to emerge from within. She has a warm, tender and often witty voice, offering glimpses of their too-brief life together and recounting their love affair with Australia, whose golden shores and pink sky formed the backdrop for their growing love. Perfect for fans of Cathy Rentzenbrink and Joan Didion’ Juliette Bottomley, Mr B’s Emporium

‘A searing reflection on the fragility of life which never loses sight of the miraculous beauty of being alive’ Leigh Sales, author of Any Ordinary Day

‘So much love in every beautiful word. My heart hurt so much and yet I could not look away. The writing is vital and filled with so much sorrow and so much love. Sublime’ Favel Parrett, author of There Was Still Love

‘Hannah Richell writes about grief and its aftermath with excoriating honesty and with exceptional beauty. A work of great tenderness, a celebration of love and of life. I loved it’ Kathryn Heyman, author of Circle of Wonders

‘Raw, unflinching, tender, hopeful – Richell pulled me through her loss as if it were my own. This is grief writing at its very best’ Emma Grey, author of The Last Love Note

‘Warmth, truth and wisdom live on every page of this beautiful and moving memoir about the loss of a wonderful and inspiring man. Waves of emotion rose as I read it: sorrow, and wonder at this precious existence we are given. With measured candour, a delicate touch, and a careful eye for the telling detail, Hannah Richell achieves what only the very best memoir can: she holds a space in which the reader can meet themselves. As you read, you realise that this profoundly generous book tells the deeper story of all our lives. It will leave you feeling more human’ Chris Cleave, author of The Other Hand

‘This is hands down the book anyone grieving needs to read, or better still to gift a loved one who may be navigating the awful, lonely path of grief’ Sarah Gwonyoma, @whatsarahreadnext

A beautiful memoir that will make you contemplate life and all the joy and grief in it. Simply stunning’ Georgina Moore, author of The Garnett Girls

‘An Ocean and a Day is truly remarkable – a work of astonishing power, grace, luminosity, precision and enduring love. What a privilege it is to be taken into Hannah’s confidence, sharing in her deepest grief, her vulnerability and, ultimately, her healing and hope. This is a memoir that belongs in every bookcase’ Emylia Hall

‘A life, and a love story, undone in an instant. Hannah Richell’s unsparing, yet also inspiring account, is tragic, tender and true’ Geraldine Brooks

‘Full of heartache and hugs, deep like the sea and also, like the sea, moving, always moving’ Raffaella Barker

‘Honest and moving, but unsentimental, Hannah Richell shows us what she and her family have lost, and in the process helps us hold our own a little closer’ Claire Fuller, author of Our Endless Numbered Days

‘A grief memoir for sure, but also a sustaining account of motherhood, the healing power of creative endeavour and of learning to live and even grow with los… This beautifully articulated memoir… provides a valuable reflection on how time and distance serve to transmute loss into a reality we can weave more steadily into our daily lives’ Caroline Sanderson, Bookseller

‘I love this book. So moving. So precise. Hannah has put her broken heart on the page so beautifully and I think it will help a lot of people’ Cathy Rentzenbrink

‘So beautifully written…this memoir makes you think about the people you have now and the enormous uncertainty that we all live with in life and what could happen tomorrow… it made me sit down and master the moments I have with my family… its really good if you have young kids and you are dealing with grief…it describes what happens when something so uncertain and shocking happens in your life and how it ripples through your emotions and your body and how you feel and what you think about your house and your belongings… it isn’t sad – it is positive and lovely’ Lorraine Candy

‘An Ocean and a Day is a book in a million; a work of colossal power. I am not sure I have ever had a reading experience quite like this – an experience in which I was wholly unable to stop reading, even while the pain took my breath away. Hannah’s depiction of both love and grief – and the hope she built from the ashes of her previous life – is generous, profoundly moving and expressed with luminous beauty and precision. I will be talking about, and recommending this book, for years to come. A true masterwork’ Rosie Walsh

‘Luminous writing, deep with feeling and brave of heart. Hannah Richell’s memoir is anchored by love, grief, and ultimately hope. Riven with hard-won wisdom, this is a book I’ll return to again and again’ Lucy Clarke

‘Impressively vulnerable… expertly crafted… heartbreaking and beautiful’ Sydney Morning Herald

‘Somehow, she manages to put her indescribable loss into words, and what beautifully breathtaking words they are. I’m glad I read this book on a screen, because my tears would hae soaked the pages’ Australian Women’s Weekly

‘No sentimentality, no sugar coating or rose tinted glasses, it was searingly honest and beautiful and packed with so much wisdom… funny and awful and honest and heartbreaking and real’ Cesca Major

‘Oh my goodness, what a book… it shows just how crazy, unpredictable and lonely grief can be, while also reminding us how wonderful, powerful and dynamic love is. If you’ve ever lost someone you love, this will truly resonate’ Prima

‘Heartbreaking and hopeful, this memoir is a testament to the power of love’ Good Housekeeping

‘Hannah’s words are honest, healing and full of hope. A must read for anyone who knows loss’ Donna Ashworth