The Oxidation of Grief: Reflections on Adult Sibling Loss

The death of an adult sibling precipitates a flood of emotions in the surviving sisters and brothers. Feelings of grief are not easily gotten over in neatly ordered stages. Neither are efforts to make sense of the loss and come to terms with an irreparable hole in one’s family constellation. In Part 1 of The Oxidation of Grief, Maria Piantanida shares her responses to her younger sister’s death from renal cancer. Mingled with expressions of grief are Maria’s struggles with notions of spirituality, faith, belief, and the meaning of life. Part 2 of the book consists of narratives of adult sibling loss. These narrative were crafted from interviews with thirteen men and women who lost one or more siblings under unexpected (sometimes catastrophic) circumstances, chronic disease, or terminal illness. In sharing both her own reflections and those of others, Maria hopes that others may find comfort in knowing they are not alone as they cope with the death of an adult sibling.