Jessica Lynne Henkle Explores Grief and Loss in Without Your Father

Grief is strange. It is both unbearably heavy and oddly mundane. In her new memoir, Without Your Father, Jessica Lynne Henkle captures this duality with extraordinary clarity. Through 112 vignettes written in the second person, she explores the year following her father’s sudden death, offering readers an intimate look at shock, confusion, absurdity, and the small moments that punctuate the grieving process.

Each piece in the book is a snapshot: some tell a story, others read like prose poems, but all convey the disorienting reality of moving through life after a profound loss. Henkle’s writing is concrete, abstract, gentle, blunt, lighthearted, and deeply sad—all at once. The book can be read sequentially, savored slowly, or opened at random to find a moment that resonates.

What makes Without Your Father especially powerful is its second-person perspective, which invites readers to step directly into Henkle’s shoes and feel the raw immediacy of her experience. It’s an offering—a chance for anyone navigating loss to recognize that their feelings, however alien, are not alone.

Whether you are grieving yourself or seeking a deeper understanding of the human experience of loss, Without Your Father is a book that lingers in the heart and mind long after the final page.

Available May 5, 2026 from Unsolicited Press and all major retailers.