EDITOR’S CHOICE
A beautifully written, emotionally rich novel that explores family, loss, and resilience with compassion, authenticity, and quiet, enduring hope.
David B. Seaburn’s Until It Was Gone is a tender, emotionally astute novel that probes the complexities of familial bonds, personal resilience, and the quiet courage it takes to mend what feels broken beyond repair. At the heart of the story is Laney’s stunning decision to leave her husband Franklin after forty years of marriage, triggered by a need to reconnect with the daughter she lost to estrangement and the granddaughter she’s never known. Her departure sets in motion a profound reckoning—not only for herself but for Franklin, whose battle with long COVID unlocks long-buried traumas.
Seaburn masterfully navigates this deeply personal terrain against the backdrop of a fractured society. Franklin’s illness, his sister’s grief, and Maggie’s crisis in a state where abortion is banned all reveal a family beset by modern pressures yet struggling valiantly to remain tethered. The novel is steeped in empathy, acknowledging pain and confusion while never losing sight of hope.
Seaburn’s prose is quietly powerful, evoking emotional nuance without descending into sentimentality. Each character’s journey feels honest and hard-won, and the novel’s emotional beats land with poignancy and grace. While the challenges facing the characters are weighty, the novel ultimately offers a vision of connection, healing, and the thin, enduring strands that hold us together—even when everything else seems to fall apart.
A moving portrait of a family in flux, Until It Was Gone is a thoughtful, timely exploration of loss, forgiveness, and the fragile but enduring power of love.
