The Porcelain Heart
A Mother’s Memoir of Unexpected Loss
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Pub Date Oct 27 2026 | Archive Date Nov 22 2026
She Writes Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles
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Description
Fans of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking and Blue Nights will find inspiration in this mother’s memoir about the year following her son’s sudden death.
When Marcy learns her beloved forty-five-year-old son, Michael, has died, she refuses to believe it. He was her only child. Later, she blames herself because she didn’t recognize the signs of his illness. She has disturbing dreams about not saving him and spirals through the various stages of grief as she waits months for the coroner to render a cause. But the fifth and final stage of grief, Marcy rejects. In her mind, if she accepts Michael’s death, he won’t ever return.
The Porcelain Heart chronicles her raw emotional journey the year following Michael’s death. Marcy endures all the firsts without him—the holidays, his birthday. She joins grief groups, remembers frightening and fun times together, questions whether she was a good mother, and tries to distract herself with travel. She creates a golf scholarship in his name and commissions a stone people and pet fountain to be built on the path where he used to hike.
Her journey culminates when she takes his ashes to his favorite place, a lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and finally begins moving toward acceptance.
Advance Praise
“The Porcelain Heart gives grieving parents a road map for the first year after loss, but the real story here is the love affair between mother and child that continues forever.”
—Aimee Liu, author of Glorious Boy and Gaining
“Marcy Kelly details her grief after the after the heartbreaking death of her son. The reader is pulled into the journey through her clear and engaging prose. Through glimpses from the past, we grow to love Michael and feel the ache of her loss. More than a grief memoir, this book is a testament to a mother’s love and her determination that precious memories of her son will never be lost.”
—Cynthia Lim, author Wherever You Are
“The Porcelain Heart is a beautiful tribute to a mother’s full and nuanced love for her son. . . . It’s a powerful story of resilience, and how the lasting bonds of love transcend even death.”
—Colin Campbell, author Finding the Words
“The Porcelain Heart, written by a mother about her life after losing her son, is not a self-help or philosophical book seeking ‘closure.’ From the very start, its clear, unique narrative fully absorbs the reader. Marcy Kelly’s honest and revealing portrayal of her struggles makes this book not only powerful, but unforgettable.”
—Gerald Petievich, author 13 Hillcrest Drive and To Live and Die in LA
“The Porcelain Heart is a moving reminder that love thrives in the tiny, ordinary moments, becoming memories that last a lifetime. Kelly’s story honors the people who stay, the heartbreak of those who don’t, and how life can change in an instant. It is a tender, hope-filled companion for anyone navigating loss.”
—Joyal Mulheron, Founder & Executive Director, Evermore
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9798896361858 |
| PRICE | $18.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 272 |