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Title details for A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney - Available

A Heart That Works

by Rob Delaney
Rob Delaney
Audiobook
3 of 3 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
3 of 3 copies available

New York Times bestseller * The New Yorker Best Books of 2022 * Entertainment

Weekly Best Books of 2022 * USA Today Best Books of 2022 * Time 100 Must-Read Books of 2022 * Mother Jones Books We Needed in 2022 * People Fall Must Read * 2022 BuzzFeed Fall Reading pick 

In 2016, Rob Delaney's one-year-old son, Henry, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The family had moved from Los Angeles to London with their two young boys when Rob's wife was pregnant with Henry, their third. The move was an adventure and a challenge that would bind them even more tightly together as they navigated the novelty of London, the culture clashes, and the funhouse experience of Rob's fame—thanks to his role as co-creator and co-star of the hit series Catastrophe. Henry's illness was a cataclysm that changed everything about their lives. Amid the hospital routine, surgeries, and brutal treatments, they found a newfound community of nurses, aides, caregivers, and fellow parents contending with the unthinkable. Two years later, Henry died, and his family watched their world fall away to reveal the things that matter most. 

A Heart That Works is Delaney's intimate, unflinching, and fiercely funny exploration of what happened – from the harrowing illness to the vivid, bodily impact of grief and the blind, furious rage that followed through to the forceful, unstoppable love that remains. In the madness of his grief, Delaney grapples with the fragile miracle of life, the mysteries of death, and the question of purpose for those left behind. 

Delaney's memoir—profound, painful, full of emotion, and bracingly honest—offers solace to those who have faced devastation and shows us how grace may appear even in the darkest times. 

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 29, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781667075259
      • File size: 98671 KB
      • Duration: 03:25:33

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 7, 2022
      Delaney (Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage.), cocreator and costar of the sitcom Catastrophe, recounts the death of his toddler son, Henry, and the aftermath in this heartrending memoir. In 2014, Delaney and his wife, Leah, moved to London for his work; two years later, Henry was born. Toward the end of his first year, Henry underwent an MRI, and a brain surgeon discovered a tumor near his brain stem. Following a successful surgery to remove the tumor, Henry lost the ability to swallow and received a tracheostomy, and health complications kept him in the hospital for 14 months. After Henry finally went home, Delaney writes, he basked in the “unalloyed beauty of his personality.” But it was a short-lived idyll: Henry’s cancer returned, and he died several months later, at home in Leah’s arms. Delaney is reflective (“It physically pained me to sign the consent forms each time he got chemo”), and his raw emotionality captures the enormity of his loss (“I was ready to love this boy forever”). Profound, crushing, and wrenching, this account of a father’s love takes the full measure of grief. Agent: Pilar Queen, UTA.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Actor, comedian, and writer Rob Delaney narrates the ineffably sad events surrounding the brief life and death of his third son, Henry. Delaney's subdued voice and resolute cadence provide the perfect vehicle for the crushing sorrow and towering anger he experienced at having his child's life so terribly disrupted and then cut so short by brain cancer. Delaney weaves in the lives of his wife, two older sons, and extended family, describing the ways that everyone was, and still is, affected by Henry's illness and death. The closer Delaney gets to the inevitable outcome of his account, the more animated his voice and pacing become. It's as if he's demonstrating that even in the tragedy of Henry's death, there is still much to celebrate about his life. S.G. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      June 10, 2024

      In this short, raw, and eloquent portrayal of parental love and loss, actor Delaney (Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage.) stuns as he details his toddler son Henry's short life and eventual death from brain cancer. Delaney narrates, recounting brutal memories and harsh realities with a subdued, matter-of-fact narrative style. His deep love for Henry shines throughout, brought forth by tender recollections of his brave and beautiful child. Between memories of overwhelming devastation, expressions of heartfelt gratitude, outbursts of rage, and dryly delivered comedic observations, he takes the time to explain cultural nuances for U.S. versus UK audiences. A gifted actor, Delaney also proves himself to be an exceptional writer who conjures vivid visual analogies and descriptions that perfectly encapsulate his complex emotions. VERDICT Delaney's visceral memoir and love letter to his child will leave listeners' hearts aching. A powerful audio that communicates the wholly personal yet terribly unifying experience of grief.--Laura Hammond

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • BookPage
      “Having your child die is so brutally humbling I struggle to describe it,” writes comedian and “Catastrophe” actor Rob Delaney. And yet he does manage to describe it, and does it well, in his unspeakably admirable memoir A Heart That Works. The comedian’s first book was memorably titled Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage. This second, decidedly different, book describes the life of his 2-year-old son, Henry, who died from a brain tumor in 2018. Life seemed practically perfect for Delaney and his beloved wife, Leah, with their “beautiful little clump of boys”—three under the age of 5. However, Henry became ill at 11 months from an apple-size tumor right next to his brainstem. Instantly, their lives were thrust into another dimension as Henry faced surgery, chemo and 14 months of hospitalization, only for his cancer to eventually return without any safe options for treatment. Delaney recounts the ordeal in searingly honest terms, conveying the intricate cobweb of emotions he experienced, often simultaneously: grief, rage, gratitude, grace and, most of all, love for Henry, their family and the many people who supported them during this time. “It often felt like we were falling down a flight of stairs in slow motion,” Delaney writes, “with each successive piece of bad news.” Still, they were able to savor sweet moments with Henry and his brothers, even in the face of an additional family tragedy: Delaney’s brother-in-law died by suicide during Henry’s hospitalization. This unexpected death struck hard, especially since Delaney has wrestled with suicidal ideation himself, and since he wasn’t able to reach out as he normally would have because his son had been so ill. Despite this tsunami of tragedies, there is humor, often black humor, throughout Delaney’s account. “If you can’t have fun dressed as a family of skeletons in a pediatric cancer ward,” he writes, “I don’t know what to tell you.” There are parcels of advice amid his frank, razor-sharp writing as well. Delaney digs deep on every page, baring his soul and sharing a remarkable range of emotions while relating the worst moments of his life. His is truly a heart that works.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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