Welcome to my eight-part blog series about the main themes in A Long Lost Time. You may have read my previous blog series on the themes in the other books in the series so now it’s time for the final one. You can find the links to the previous blogs at the bottom of this blog post. Now, the fifth theme is an interesting one – grief. Let me explain why.

Warning: This blog contains spoilers.

Grief as a theme is something that spans the whole of The Luke Bright Series in a very unique way, because in fact, the whole series is indeed about the process of grieving. It wasn’t intended to be, and still now it’s not implicit, but it became a series about grief without me even realising it.

When I was first writing the series in its early stages, The Luke Bright Series was all about adventure and a new exciting life, and there was always an element of the loss that came with it, but it was only once I’d been through the grieving process myself, I understood how powerful it could be. That moment at the end of Atlantic Split when Luke finally faces his choices ahead of him is a moment that gave me so much solace when I was grieving. I knew if Luke could take on this new beginning, filled with the loss of what came before, then I could do. It was the one thing that gave me comfort and I learnt a huge amount from Luke back then. Because the moment that gunshot went off, his life changed forever, just as a death or loss can do the same. And learning how to live and come to terms with it follows that same grieving pattern.

So let me take you through the five stages of grief, because they relate really well to this series. 1. Denial and isolation; 2. Anger; 3. Bargaining; 4. Depression; 5. Acceptance.

For Luke, the denial came early on when he was in his cell. He couldn’t believe it happened to him, that he’d killed Adam Wicks (now we know better), and then the anger of it all started to set in as he got closer to his trial. Now, bargaining is the one that’s less clear, but in Luke’s monologues he does start to wonder what he could’ve done differently and if he should’ve even embarked upon this situation in the first place. And in fact, it’s something that really seeps into An Undercover Dream, so that denial and anger phase actually takes him a long way through the book. Of course, we know where his depression comes in, but acceptance really shows itself in A Long Lost Time as he finally comes to terms with who he’s been made to become, his new life here and how different it is to his old one and the fact things will never be the same again. It’s a long, long journey, but that important moment of acceptance is what gives him the strength to carry on.

For me, The Luke Bright Series helped me come to terms with and understand my grief and I do believe it can help others who have been through something life changing like Luke to know how to deal with it better. Everyone does grieve differently, but I do believe what Luke’s been through can really help people understand how to cope with loss. After all, it really helped me and I think you can definitely see that seeping into those books.

I end this blog with a quote from A Long Lost Time about grief and the strength it takes to come through the other side with it. Because it is a journey that shapes and strengthens you, and no one can or should underestimate that.

“I believe that some of the strongest people in this world are those who have had so much shit thrown at them, but yet still manage to get up in the morning with a smile on their face and take on the world. You can let yourself be swallowed into a massive hole or you can pull yourself up and out of it, and just keep climbing. Soon enough, the world’s going to realise that you’re strong enough to take it on. Once you’ve been through something as life-changing as I have, you learn to deal with knocks.” Luke Bright – A Long Lost Time

Thank you for reading this blog, and next Thursday. I’m going back to Atlantic Split and how the themes in that book recur in this one! See you then!

Atlantic Split Theme Blog Series Links:

1. Prejudice
2. Growing Up
3. Optimism
4. Courage
5. Friendship
6. Family
7. Bullying
8. Morality

At Liberty To Live Theme Blog Series Links:

1. New Beginnings
2.  Inner Strength
3. Following Your Passion
4. Rushing in too quickly
5. Feminism
6. Self Discovery
7. Making a Difference
8. Previous Themes

An Undercover Dream Theme Blog Series Links:

1. Independence
2. Dreams
3. Love
4. Mental Health
5. Loss
6. Self Acceptance
7. Leadership
8. Previous themes

A Long Lost Time Theme Blog Series Links:

1. Self worth
2. Persistence
3. Hidden truths
4. Forgiveness

All four books in The Luke Bright Series is available to purchase NOW! Please follow me on my blog and social media links below, and use the links on my website to purchase a copy of each if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post

N.A.K