Wow, what a brilliant book that deals with an issue that probably is at the heart of most of the trouble people have with faith, or is a major cause of rejecting it - the issue of suffering. It's hard to believe and understand that a loving God can and would allow suffering, and for those that have never been there the rote words often said to those going through or witnessing such suffering can seem shallow - and yet they are heartfelt and well meant. For those that have been there sometimes the words to utter to help others are hard to find as the pain is deep and the awareness keen that each person's suffering is different but yet similar. Mallard in this book lays this honestly on the table and tries to journey through and share the conclusions and answers he has found through his family's suffering. He points out that suffering is not experienced alone, but that we see and find in it an intimacy with a God that journeys through that pain with us, and in that suffering gain an ability in turn to experience an intimacy with not only our God but with other people too. For me this book is up there with Philip Yancey's Where is God When It Hurts - an essential book to give to anyone struggling with suffering.